Moirai
by 40four
Summary: Ten years after her adventures, Hitomi's powers still linger. Forever tied to Gaea‘s fate, she must accept her destiny and make decisions that won‘t come easily. Meanwhile, Van seems less than thrilled to see her return, but why? Can they overcome the emotional rift which has formed between them and find a way to stop the madness?
1. Chapter 1

I probably haven't mentioned this anywhere else but I used to have an account here that I locked myself out of years ago. I re-read my Escaflowne continuation story and it wasn't terrible. Too bad I have no idea anymore where I was going with that. Well, anyway. I keep thinking about what I would write about a lot lately so I decided to give it a shot. This is only chapter 1 and there will be more to come -just not sure when.

A note of warning: English is not my native language. I realize that the only way to improve my writing is to…well…write. I may edit chapters and try to improve on style based on reviews if I get any good critique in that direction. 

Disclaimer: Y'all know I don't own it.

~~Earth~~

A young woman stepped up to the starting blocks, kicking stray pieces of gravel off the red running track. Kneeling down, she firmly planted her fingers on the tartan, and feet clad in trademark running shoes on the starting blocks. Her long braid of honey-colored hair fell across her a shoulder as she assumed a tight starting position. About to start her mental countdown, she suddenly slacked from her focus. Hitomi Kanzaki closed her eyes and tugged at the faint mental image. 

With a deep sigh, she opened her eyes and withdrew from the blocks. The wind picked up around her, gently pulling on her green running shorts and loose white tank top. Hitomi casually started to jog down the track until she found the rogue rock that would have caused her to stumble at about mid-sprint. Picking it up, she briefly glanced at it before tossing it in the direction of the distant chain link fence. For what good they had been, the faint remnants of her once strong mystical powers at least kept her out of trouble. Sometimes. 

_Ok, here we go again.  
_

After resuming her position, Hitomi was satisfied to find her thoughts at peace.

 _GO!_

Powerful legs pushed her quick feet into a routine one hundred meter dash. Arms pumping in a steady rhythm with the graceful strides of her legs and eyes focused on the finish line, Hitomi looked every part the former junior national champion and record holder she was. With a satisfied smile, she passed the white line and slowed her run into a comfortable jog. Breathing steadily, she granted herself enjoyment in familiar movements that never failed to put her at ease.

After a while, the sound of chipper voices drawing near caught Hitomi's attention. Cutting the present lap short, she took a direct route across the soccer field in the middle. She gathered her tracksuit from the bleachers and donned the grey jacket. 'Team Japan' it stated across the back in bold, black letters. By the time she was settled on the bottom bleachers, her students had arrived. "Good evening, Ms. Kanzaki!" Several of them greeted and waved as they filed into the area near Hitomi, clipboard in hand. 

"Hey girls, how is everyone doing today?" She asked with a genuine smile on her face. As track team alumni with several national medals and records, she had gone on to study strength and conditioning and was now an athletic trainer and was now proudly coaching her own team of young ladies at the very school she had once attended herself.

They briefly convened and after Hitomi informed them of the training agenda, the girls divvied up in pairs to stretch and do warm up-ups. Hitomi surveyed them closely, making adjustments and giving instructions on proper techniques here and there. After some more warm-up exercises, they began circling the track together, running at a moderate pace. The sun was slowly setting while training was in progress, shading the late autumn sky a beautiful blend of orange and red. Several high-intensity intervals followed the warm-up jog and ended in the same manner. Sweaty and exhausted girls passed a proudly smiling Hitomi on their way back up the bleachers and out of the compound. 

"You all will do great next week at the competition. I'm very proud of your progress." She placed a hand on the shoulder of one girl in particular and looked at her, nodding reassuringly. 

The redhead glanced at Hitomi nervously. "Ms. Kanzaki. I won't disappoint you again." 

Hitomi chuckled and simply shook her head. "Rai. You have not, and will never disappoint me. You are always out there doing your best and sometimes accidents happen. I want for you to have fun doing a sport you love and if you happen to win some medals along the way, it's just a bonus."

The girl beamed at her rewardingly. "Thank you, coach," before bounding up the stairs and out of sight.

Hitomi looked after the girl with a half smile. _She is a great runner. Just a bit too uncoordinated in her movements sometimes._

Rai had clumsily and humiliatingly stumbled over her own feet during one of the qualifying runs for a regional competition a few weeks ago and taken one of her own teammates down with her. Needless to say, it had been difficult to rebuild the girl's confidence after the incident. Hitomi knew all too well the feeling. A decade ago, she too had messed up a run too for wholly different reasons.

 _No Hitomi. Don't go there again…_ She gathered her duffle bag and hurriedly stuffed her long training pants into it, deciding that she rather enjoyed the feel of the cool evening air on her legs. Letting her thoughts wander into the past was a slippery slope of depression and desperation she decided to spare herself this time. Running had been not just an escape, but a form of therapy for her throughout the years. A coping mechanism she was able to channel all the pent-up emotions into. Nothing was quite as relaxing as a good long run, or a set of sprints. 

She removed the elastic tie holding her braid together and shook out her long hair, running her fingers through it to carefully untangle some strands. Ten years of growing it out and she braided it almost every day.

 _What's the point in even having long hair?_

She abandoned the thought and swiftly made her way over to the gates. Hitomi had created a nice life for herself in the past years. Owning her own apartment, as well as a steady job with decent pay, two nice but ultimately, failed relationships, and a small but distinguished circle of friends.

 _Spinster._ She thought and smoothed a handful of hair behind one ear. _That's what they say behind my back…_

Shrugging lightly, she continued on her way to the station and boarded her train. Busying herself with thoughts of coaching, her eyes skimmed the ocean waves through the darkness behind the train window. Her thoughts strayed. Almost every day she would pass this spot. The spot where she had seen… him just a day after she resumed her normal life. His ruby eyes had stared at her intently from behind that curtain of ebony bangs. A soft smile had tugged on his lips when she assured him that she was doing fine. This was the last time she had seen him smile.

Just then, a hand on her shoulder startled her. "Yukari!" She chimed happily and hugged her best friend.

"You are acting awfully surprised considering that you were supposed to be on this very train on your way to meet Amano and me for dinner!" The young woman scolded. "Don't tell me you forgot!"

Hitomi's face fell. "Yukari. I am SO sorry!" She slapped a hand over her face. "I **did** forget." She shrugged apologetically. It s _ure would be excellent if these powers of mine reminded me of things, instead of just warning me. They always only work when they want to.  
_

Yukari rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "Hitomi! I'm not buying it. I know you aren't excited at being set up but this new friend of Amano's, but he's… well… he's a nice guy and I think you might like him."

Hitomi groaned theatrically but said nothing. Yukari flashed her tongue briefly. "Fine," she huffed. "I will let you get out of this one. But you owe me."

Hitomi laughed "Alright. What do I owe you?" She had lost count at how many feeble attempts of random matchups Yukari had failed over the years and could just not bring herself to be interested in attempting to date again yet. Hitomi Kanzaki was a perfectly happy, twenty-six-year-old woman. The experiences of her most recent relationship were enough for her to require a break. 

_I'm perfectly happy…_

 _Quite content..?_

 _Fairly okay._

Yukari's eyes narrowed "The Holistic Health and Spiritual Expo tomorrow! Promise me we'll go."

 _Oh, gods no._ "Ok."

 _No need to try and wiggle myself out of that one._

This seemed to satisfy her friend. The two women found seats and chatted casually until it was time for Hitomi to detrain. She descended the platform stairway and came to an abrupt stop in the small hallway. Several people scurried by her. A mother with her tired looking boy, two older women talking animatedly about a popular TV show, and a businessman with a long, grey coat exited on either side of the building until she was alone. Eyes closed, she tried to make out the dull images that flashed in her subconscious rapidly. 

A hand painfully fisting in her long hair materialized in the foggy picture _. Sweat….blood..whose blood? Mine….hands….more than two….dirt and grass….pine needles and sweat. Flushed skin….dirt and pine needles and sweat and hands on me._ The faint scent of sweat tickled her nose as a thick hand disappeared down the front of her running shorts. Another one roughly pushed her shoulders to the ground. The dark figures loomed over her as Hitomi attempted to desperately claw at anything within reach.

 _Disgusting!_

Shuddering, she quickly made a decision to not take the usual route home. She crudely gathered her hair and wadded it down the collar of her jacket. Jogging lightly all the way, she made it a point to avoid the park she would normally pass through and with a groan, collapsed against her apartment door after securely dead-bolting it behind her.

 _Not today._

Hitomi had learned to heed the warnings early on. Her powers had weakened considerably following her 'excursion'. What remained were faint tugs, hints, and the occasional visual impressions of looming danger. A sort of foresight.

She had soon learned to accept that the remnants of power were here to stay and after proving themselves useful, Hitomi decided not to try and fight them; all the while with the firm resolution intact that she would not meddle with fortune telling again. Preventing broken bones, knowing when a glass was in danger of being knocked over, or a car was about to take a turn too fast for her in order to cross the road safely had only been an advantage thus far.

~~Not Earth~~

A gloved hand fisted tightly around the flashing pink pendant through black fabric, where it was softly resting against smooth, tanned skin underneath. The precious stone glowed so brightly it was visible through the layers of fabric.

 _That's twice today…_ A grim expression formed on the bearer's handsome face as he massaged the bridge of his nose tiredly with two fingers. He discreetly removed the necklace from around his neck and quickly stored it in one of the saddlebags on his black steed.

"….Van?" An impatient female voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you paying attention to what I am telling you?"

Van rearranged his hands on the horse's reins. "I am. My apologies." He wearily raked a hand through his tousled, ebony hair. At the accusing look of his companion, the young man's face changed from curious worry to unexceptional ease. "Please, go on."

~~Earth~~

At the downtown location of 'Hibiscus Salon', Toshi Goda finished sweeping long, honey-colored hair off the floor. With a flick of her wrist, the soft pile was unceremoniously discarded into the trashcan. 

_Shame really. This lady had the nicest long hair. Unprocessed and healthy virgin hair is such a rare sight these days. Why would she have me cut it quite so short without hesitation? It turned out fitting her beautifully though. The long hair was almost overpowering on her._ Toshi smiled at the thought.

Hitomi had casually walked into said salon an hour ago and made the three stylists in attendance gasp at her request for a pixie cut. After much encouragement for other options that would preserve length but still involve a great deal of change, they finally saw nothing was going to change her mind.

Hitomi leisurely made her way down the sidewalk, moving her head left and right while enjoying the cool air caressing her newly exposed ears and neck. She threaded her fingers through her short coiffure, marveling the unfamiliar sensation. 

_This is good. I like this. It's even shorter now than it was on Ga…..No. Do. Not. Go down that way Hitomi._ Taking a deep breath, she quickened her pace towards the convention center. She pulled the denim jacket around herself more tightly as a particularly strong gust of wind brushed by her, carrying a few brown leaves with it. The simple knee-length red dress she wore underneath her well broken-in jacket was her favorite. With winter approaching shortly, it looked like she would have to store it in the back of her closet soon. The simple brown ankle boots she had chosen to wear had been a good choice for this brisk morning. She was about to shift her duffle bag to the other shoulder when Yukari caught up with her. 

"Hitomi! When did you get your hair cut!? Why did you get your hair cut?! Never mind, I love it!"

 _How does she always_ ** _do_** _that?!_

Hitomi smiled as Yukari beamed at her excitedly. "Oh. You know, I felt like it was time for a change." Yukari nodded her head in agreement and pulled two tickets from the pocket of her jeans, handing her one.

"Here is your ticket. I've had them for a while," Yukari winked. "Looks like they double as coupons for some of the vendors at the expo. You are supposed to trade it in for a sample or gift. Mine's got some sort of vitamin on it. Can't wait to find out what it does! You are the oracle here, so you can have the other one."

She chuckled at her friend's comment and shook her head. Hitomi had discussed this at length with Yukari several times over the past years. She was done telling fortunes. Looking at the ticket in her hand to inspect it, her face paled.

 _The Ace of Serpents. His card._ 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services' was printed on it in gold cursive. She gulped and continued to stare at it. _Don't be silly Hitomi. It's just a stupid coincidence._ She quickly slipped the ticket into a pocket.

When they arrived at the convention center, Yukari nudged her towards coat check. "At least give up that duffle bag for a few hours and make me feel like you're not thinking about running while we hang out, will you?" The young woman tried to give her a stern look but the mischievous wink that followed made Hitomi laugh.

"Oooh alright." Relieved of her bag, Hitomi and Yukari entered the convention floor and casually started surveying the booths and wares, lingering at some for a while to scrutinize whatever the owners were peddling.

Hitomi leaned in to quietly whisper in Yukari's ear, "You know those pills you are thinking about buying are nothing but a scam, right? They absolutely won't do anything to make you lose weight. Exercise and proper nutrition..."

"Do you HAVE to always tell me this?" Yukari interrupted her with a huff.

Hitomi shrugged sheepishly, "Uhhhh yes. I'm just trying to keep you from wasting your money."

Yukari sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest "Fine. Let's go somewhere else."

The aisle they walked into next gave off a wholly different vibe. Satin and silk fabrics, stars and glitter, crystal balls, sparkling stones and trinkets of all sorts covered the tables in this area. A good number of curiously dressed people stood out in the visiting crowd, along with most of the booth owners. Hitomi grimaced at the sight of a young girl dressed in trademark quack fortune-teller garb, complete with a headscarf. 

_Oh dear._

Yukari clapped her hands excitedly. "Now THIS is what we need to be checking out, Hitomi! You need another hobby. Running all day every day just won't do. Why don't you get into tarot reading again?"

Hitomi deliberately shook her head. "I don't think so, Yukari. You know I'm done trying to predict the future." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket in protest.

 _I can only see glimpses every now and again, but I don't ask for it. It just …happens sometimes. Not that you know about that._

"Let's just check out some of the booths. Only a look-see! No harm in that, right?" Yukari pleaded.

 _You have no idea._ "Fine."

Yukari linked her arm with Hitomi's and pulled her into the crowd. They wandered for a while until one booth caught Yukari's interest in particular. "Look Hitomi! Crystal ball fortune telling!"

Hitomi looked at the sign in front of the booth. 'True Fortunes Guaranteed' She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yukari…"

The redhead shook her head and looked at Hitomi accusingly. "No! Don't give me any of this. You used to tell fortunes with your cards and since you won't do it anymore, I have to obtain my information from other sources." She schooled her.

Hitomi shook her head and sighed. "Ok then, if you must. You wait your turn here while I wander around. I don't want to see this. But do have fun." She turned and disappeared into the crowd. Arriving at the end of the aisle, she leaned against the wall next to the last booth and stared at the tall ceiling.

"You look like you're not having a good time at all." Hitomi spun around and smiled at the older woman, embarrassed at having been called out on her attitude.

"Sorry, this is just not really my thing…anymore." Hitomi smiled sheepishly. She glanced at the sign below the booth. 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services'

"Anymore?" The older woman caught Hitomi's attention again inquisitively.

Hitomi regarded her for a moment. She was probably the most ordinarily dressed person to own a 'spiritual' booth at this convention. In a plain pair of black pants and a white blouse, the brunette looked just as normal as anybody. The smile on the woman's soft face extended all the way into her intelligent looking, blue eyes.

Noticing this, Hitomi relaxed slightly. Due to her tarot card reading, she had been pigeonholed a good deal in the past. Weren't individuals who meddled with spiritual stuff usually quirky and dressed in strange ways? Certainly, a good many people providing 'spiritual' services thought so, and would readily cater to their clients with elaborate and fantastic looking costumes. 

Not this lady apparently.

"My name is Ai, what's yours?" The older woman offered her hand.

"Hitomi."

They shook hands briefly. "So what did you mean, not anymore?"The woman restated her question.

Hitomi smiled and politely explained, "I used to do tarot readings."

"Interesting." Ai chuckled. "Well, why did you stop? You saved Gaea after all. "

 _WHAT?!_ "Excuse me?"

"Hmm? I didn't say anything. I was about to ask you why you stopped reading cards." The woman looked at her bewildered.

 _Weird._ Hesitating at first, "I realized that knowing too much about what the future holds isn't necessarily a good thing." Hitomi finally offered and was about to brush her hand through her long hair nervously. When she realized it was no longer possible, she smoothed some of the short locks near her left ear.

The older woman nodded knowingly. "I understand. The cards can reveal frightening things. Sometimes it's best to take a step back."

 _I probably just imagined this._

Hitomi smiled and moved closer. She absentmindedly looked at the sign in front of her again, re-reading the writing on it. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the ticket.

"Miss Cleo. Is that you?" Hitomi asked and showed her the ticket.

Ai laughed openly. "Oh, my. No. Miss Cleo is my mother. She used to own this…business until I took over most of it a few years ago. We do have our regular customers, so I didn't want to change the name." 

Hitomi nodded knowingly. _Maybe a bit shady after all?_

Ai picked up the conversation again. "I see you were the lucky recipient of our ticket. There was only one given out. It seems like you will be the proud owner of our newly designed tarot deck." After rummaging through the area below the table for a moment, she pulled out a black, wooden box and offered it to Hitomi.

Taken a bit by surprise, Hitomi took the box and stared at it.

"Go on, take a look." Ai encouraged her.

 _Hmmm, should I? I don't want to be rude._ Hitomi carefully opened the box and let the pile of cards fall into her hand. She gingerly cut the deck with her fingers and stared at the card that had revealed itself.

 _Ace of Serpents…_ The same as on the ticket. Pursing her lips, she snorted and was about to put the cards down. "I'm sorry but I can't take these."

"Do you not like the artwork? I designed each of these cards myself," the woman asked disappointedly.

Hitomi shook her head and looked at the card again "No. that's not it at all," she mumbled defensively. With an apologetic smile, she said: "This one is beautiful, actually." Looking at it closely, her eyes glazed over a bit. An elegant, white dragon with ruby eyes stared back at her from the card. Its long, graceful body was flecked with gold scales and the long tail was wrapped around the hauntingly familiar shape of a sword. 

"He misses you, you know? He needs you more than he may think."

Hitomi dropped her hands and gasped. "What did you just say?!"

The woman behind the booth put up her hands in defense "Oh dear. I'm sorry I just asked if you wanted to take a look at the rest of the deck."

Hitomi took a step back from the booth and quietly said "No, thank you very much. I think…" she took a sharp breath. "I'm quite done here. I'm sorry, but I can't take these." She hurriedly stuffed the cards back into the box and set them on the table, then quickly turned on her heels and was about to walk away as she stopped for a moment.

"Just so you know," Hitomi spoke over her shoulder in a low, sad voice. "He broke the bond." With that, she swiftly disappeared into the throng of people.

A snarl tugged on the tip of Ai's nose. "No, he did not." The woman sneezed and shook her head. _Huh? Strange._

 **Tbc…**

A/N: I always thought running could be an important part of Hitomi's recovery. I may touch on that again in later chapters. Working out has been a big help during tough times in my life so I know it can be therapeutic to channel feels into physical activity. Hitomi will definitely be strong physically, as well as mentally. Well, mostly anyway.

A few weeks ago, I bought a shirt with the slogan 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Service' on it so I decided to use that name here. The shirt was actually what inspired the expo Yukari and Hitomi visited.

That's all for now, folks! Do tell me what you think, if you would. Feedback is motivating!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I wrote this all in a matter of hours, and abandoned quite a bit of work just because I couldn't stop thinking about my story. Uuugh anyway. I hope it's passable. I'll probably come back to edit minor parts later on.

~~Earth~~

Hitomi readjusted the strap of her duffle bag as she rummaged through its contents in search of her mp3 player. After the encounter at the convention had left a somewhat sour taste in her mouth, she needed a distraction.

Her lips curved into an annoyed grimace. _Where IS it?!_ She dug deeper into the bag and felt around the laces of her running shoes for the device's cords. A curious facial expression replaced the slightly annoyed one, as her hand grazed an unfamiliar object. She pulled out a black, wooden box.

 _What in the…?_ She quickly opened the box to confirm her suspicions. _How in the world!_ Closing the box and roughly stuffing it back into her duffle bag, her mind raced. _How did those cards get into my bag? I didn't even have it on me, and I picked it up right after Yukari and I left the building. There is no way this lady could have put them… I mean, how would she know this is my bag? This is crazy!_

She smoothed her imaginary long hair behind her ears. _Oh, right…_

Hitomi checked her watch to see that it was just after four o'clock and abandoned the plans to surprise her family for dinner. Slightly agitated, she pulled out her smartphone and consulted the default search engine in the browser. She punched 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services' into the screen a little harder than necessary. 

The website was fairly old and did not adjust to her phone's format. After a few taps of her thumb, she found the address on the bottom of the page. _Not too far. Good. Shouldn't take long to return these._ Hitomi swiftly stepped out the train car she was in at the next station, only to board a different one on the opposing platform.

She couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering anymore. _Why is this happening now? I haven't seen or spoken to Van in years. It just doesn't make any sense. Is there a new threat on Gaea? He made it pretty clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me._

~~The past between two worlds~~

Hitomi's smile lit up her whole face as the young king's tall, gangly form appeared before her in the dreamscape. The grass on the meadow she had dreamed up for them was rippling gently in the warm summer wind. His trademark, lose, red shirt fluttered around his slim form as he stood looking at her, devoid of emotion. Two garnet eyes met her faltering smile.

 _"_ Van? What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me? _"_ Hitomi's 15-year-old self slowly stepped up to him. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Van tensed in her embrace. 

"Hitomi. We can't meet anymore." He pushed her away at the shoulders and held her at arm's length. This time, his eyes refused to meet hers. Face turned towards her but eyes staring at something just past her shoulder, the grip of his hands tightened on her.

"I don't understand! Why?!" Hitomi desperately cried. Tears started forming in her emerald eyes. "After all we've been through together…"

"You chose to return, Hitomi. Your thoughts need to stay with you on the Mystic Moon. This is not good for either of us." Van spoke seemingly without emotion.

"But Van! You said we could always see each other if we wanted to! You promised!" Hitomi's hands fisted in desperation.

"I changed my mind," Van said quietly. He released her shoulders and turned his head away from her completely. His impossibly tousled hair covered his eyes as he stood unmoving.

Hitomi gritted her teeth as more tears spilled out of her eyes. "I couldn't have stayed. You couldn't have possibly expected for me to… ugh, it doesn't matter. You and Allen are both the same after all." 

Van sucked in a sharp breath at the verbal slap she had just administered to him. Shoulders slumping, he turned and walked towards the edge of the meadow where it was fading with the darkness surrounding their dreamscape. His form slowly became more translucent with every step. Unseen tears vanished in the air as he disappeared into a place beyond her reach.

~~Earth~~

Hitomi sighed as she glanced at her passing reflection in the shop windows. The sun was low in the sky by now and it gave the scene a gloomy vibe. Few people passed her in this area of town. A couple on the other side of the street laughed as they walked arm in arm, and a young woman close to her own age wearing a soccer jersey braided her long, blond hair as she hurried past Hitomi.

Her life had turned out so well, but she felt like something was missing; something that would make her whole. Filling this void with physical activity had worked quite well so far. It helped take her mind off things she didn't want to think about for so long.

Fingering the soft, worn cuffs of her denim jacket, she found that she wasn't quite so sure anymore. Could she actually, truly still be in love with Van after so many years?

 _**This love they have for each other. This emotion of theirs. Does it surpass even that fate of war which is born of man? Can this simple moment last forever? This moment created by two easily swayed human hearts?**_

Hitomi had attempted to love. Her last relationship was decidedly blissful. Daichi had been wonderful, and just when she was ready to fully commit to her feelings, everything went awry. An aspiring pediatric doctor who worked hard, could cook, and treated her with respect behind bedroom doors was too good of a catch. Until of course, she found out that his many late shifts and emergency calls weren't all spent at the hospital. She groaned inwardly at the memory of the ugly fight they had after Hitomi accidentally read one of the messages on his cell phone. 'Be sure to wear those scrubs of yours again, Dr. Hottie!' 

She hadn't felt so betrayed in years. It had confirmed to her that love was just not something attained superficially. Nothing could compare to the bond she had shared with Van. There was no other possible outcome than for them to fall in love after everything they had been through together. But why had he let her go so willingly? How could he have made a decision that was sure to alter the course of their future together so severely? How could he have determined that split futures were for their own good? Most importantly, how could he have made such a decision alone?!

Lost in resentful thoughts, Hitomi barely noticed that she had come to a stop in front of her destination. Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services was located on the ground floor of a run-down brick building. The shop windows were coated in dust, and the gold lettering was cracked and peeling generously around the edges. 

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. The sound of a clunky, muted bell chiming announced her arrival to the empty store. Some of the late afternoon light cast a beam of orange on the dark interior. Shelves with books and spiritual trinkets lined the space. A pink crystal ball caught her eye on a table in the far corner of the room. _That figures._

"Hello?" Hitomi curiously called into to the store. Having received no answer, she slowly made her way down the main aisle. Peering at the shelves in passing, she made her way to the counter. A big, antiquated cash register took up most of the space there. The gold plated piece of machinery resided proudly on the small wooden surface. Behind it, she was relieved to see a positively ancient lady fast asleep in a plush chair. The woman wore a withered old baseball cap. Long, grey hair fanned out on her slim shoulders and a pair of thick, round glasses had slipped all the way down to the tip of her nose. Heavily bejeweled hands rested gently on the lady's lap. A dark blue velvet tracksuit and comfortable looking, white sneakers completed the look. _Not really what I expected someone called Miss Cleo to look like._

Hitomi couldn't help but smirk a bit at the sight. The woman's wrinkly hands were neatly folded on her lap as she snored gently. Hitomi cleared her throat audibly and the old woman slowly opened an eye. She reached up and pushed her glasses back in place with a bejeweled finger. After staring at Hitomi for a moment, she let out a laugh so loud Hitomi jumped in surprise. This old lady certainly was more energetic than she had been prepared for.

"Well! If it isn't the legendary Seeress," the woman exclaimed and pushed herself out of her comfy chair with ease. "I have been expecting you," she smiled eagerly and approached the counter, propping her elbows up on the dusty wooden surface. "In fact, I have been expecting to see you for the past ten years."

Why this was not an entirely shocking statement to hear baffled Hitomi more than what the woman had said in the first place.

Hitomi's reluctant expression was apparent and she crossed her arms in front of herself. "Is that so?!" She quickly regained her senses and moved to pull the wooden box containing the tarot cards from her duffle bag. "Well, good. Then you probably know I came to return these." She unceremoniously dropped them on the counter in front of the old lady.

She chuckled in response, "I had a feeling, yes." She sighed deeply "Although you would do good to not try and evade your fate any longer."

Hitomi looked at her with narrowed eyebrows. "What do you know about fate, Miss Cleo? You are Miss Cleo, aren't you?"

The old woman grinned and said "It's Moira, actually. Miss Cleo is simply an alter ego I came up with when I opened a business in this world. It sounds more..." she gesticulated elaborately with her hand, "…other-worldly." 

Hitomi's eyes widened in shock "Did you say THIS world?"

Moira nodded eagerly. "I could have started this conversation better, couldn't I? Please forgive my directness. I should have eased you into everything slowly, but I hate to waste precious time, and it really has been decades since I spoke to somebody who would NOT think me a lunatic. Gaea is real and I know that you have visited. As I said, time is of the essence and there is little of it left for me. I'd prefer to spend it knowing I have finally straightened out what you and that silly White Dragon messed up years ago."

Hitomi was at a loss for words. "What? How? What exactly are you talking about?"

Moira shifted on her feet impatiently and straightened to her full height. She was tall for an old woman, and very thin. "Would you care to join me for a cup of tea, Seeress?"

All Hitomi could do was nod in response. _There I go again getting myself wrapped up in a supernatural mess._ She did not feel the need to struggle anymore. Fate had brought her this far and she wanted to get to the bottom of everything.

Moira invited her to follow up a flight of stairs which lead into a small apartment above the store. The stairway let out into a fairly dark hallway covered in thick Persian rugs. At the end of the hallway, a cheerful kitchen was hidden behind a yellowed, wooden door.

"Uhm. What if anybody comes into the store?" Hitomi had noticed that Moira had not bothered locking the door to the store before they ascended into the apartment.

"Don't worry Seeress. nobody will be in until my daughter Ai comes home long after you are gone." The woman offered Hitomi a seat at the kitchen table. Placing her duffle bag on the floor, she slowly sat. She stared at the tablecloth absentmindedly, letting Moira prepare the tea. A familiar feeling of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach. 

Had this impossible chain of events really brought her to one of the only other people on Earth who knew about Gaea? Clearly, there were others who had been to the mystic planet. She remembered the CD she had seen in the Asturian marketplace. _Somebody was there before me._

The electric kettle whizzed and pulled her attention back into the present.

"I am from Gaea." The old woman said matter-of-factly as she set a dainty teacup in front of Hitomi. The hot water wafted clouds of steam into the brief silence between them. "I came here decades ago as a young woman with visions of war all across this world but lacking the power to stop them. I see it every day; the possibility for change and peace but it would take more than one person to ameliorate everything. The lives and fates of so many people are entwined in this world. It is beyond repair." She plopped down in the chair closest to Hitomi.

 _Of course. Why is this not even surprising to hear?_ She asked herself again.

Hitomi shook her head. "Why are you still here? I left Gaea once when I felt overwhelmed and...used." 

Moira took an excruciatingly slow sip of tea. "Because I need to help YOU go back. I've waited a long time for this opportunity. It's my duty to Gaea to send you back. You are the one who will balance the tipping fates. I saw your fate even before you were born. You are more important than I ever was. I was destined to serve you."

Hitomi was flustered. She gasped "But if I don't believe in a predetermined fate. That's why I went back. Van cut our connection and that was the last time I saw or spoke to him." She moved again to smooth her none existent long hair and settled for nervously twisting the short fibers behind her ears. It was all she could do to prevent tears.

Moira nodded "Yes. That's why you both still were able to retain a bond in the first place. You were not supposed to return to Earth, but you did anyway. He did not want to let you go. What has been done, has been done and so the bond between you remained to help retain your relationship. You were supposed to grow closer and decide to return."

Hitomi huffed. Clenching the fabric of her dress in her fists, she muttered "Well, I may have eventually, but then Van decided he didn't want me anymore. He broke the bond and told me it was for the best."

"He did it thinking you would be happier for it. The pendant you left him showed him your future. A future without him. He saw you growing up to be confident, successful, and happy. What he did not see was that it would all be superficial. The vision he had was not meant for him; it was meant for you. The pendant showed it to him, but he is not the one receptive to its powers."

"How do you know all this?" Hitomi asked, staring at her untouched cup of tea. She slowly reached for it and turned it on the saucer by its handle.

"I have powers too. Powers that allow me to see what is required to influence the best possible fated outcome. You have these powers also, but they are deeply buried within you, barely even alive."

Hitomi looked into Moira's deep blue eyes now. The thick glasses gave her face a warped look around the sides. "They warn me sometimes when bad things are about to happen."

Moira nodded "You could do much more than that, but you can't do it alone, and certainly not when you are unwilling. You need the White Dragon, and he needs you. Living without each other is possible, but nothing will ever be the best it can be."

"I can't go back. Even if I wanted to, I don't know how to." Hitomi dropped her hand back into her lap.

The old woman laughed. "That's where I come in. If you truly wish, I can help you return."

 _Why am I even considering this? I don't even know if Van will welcome me. What if he rejects me?_

"He won't. It might take a bit for him to realize, but he won't be able to resist you." A sly grin appeared on the woman's innocent face.

Hitomi blushed "Why am I not surprised, that you can read my thoughts?"

"Well I don't know Seeress, why aren't you?" Moira raised a thin, grey eyebrow.

Hitomi shrugged "Because I have seen things others may call me crazy for, but you are the living proof I'm not."

Moira pulled on one of the fingers of her left hand and raised a ring into the air between their faces. A pink, oval stone the size of an almond adorned the simple, silver band. "You know how it works, don't you?"

"I have to wish for it." Hitomi swallowed audibly "A strong wish."

The old woman smiled "Correct," she reached for Hitomi's hand and gently placed the ring on her right index finger. 

Hitomi stared at it. "Your daughter...?"

"She doesn't know." 

"She said some things to me she couldn't possibly know."

"Ai has inherited some of my powers. They are weak and she does not know she has them. It would only burden her. She does not remember what she sees or says."

Hitomi huffed "Why did nobody think to protect me from those powers back then?"

Moira smiled "Because you made the choice. You reached for them when you met the White Dragon. The choice was yours then, but the fate within you longed to be with him when you didn't even realize it yet. It was a good choice, Seeress. He could not have achieved what he did without you. I am devoted to the rightful King of Fanelia. He restored peace in Gaea and rebuilt his country. My people owe him their sincere gratitude and loyalty."

"But... I thought there is no predetermined fate. For years now, I have tried to live thinking I could create the outcome myself." Hitomi brushed the energist ring with the thumb of her other hand.

Moira smiled again "You are not wrong. You can do this, but the best fate itself will always try to prevail. There are decision points in any timeframe that will let you choose between the best fate or another, but there are only so many of these decision points that create the ideal outcome. You have exhausted almost all of them, so the ideal fate for both of you and Gaea is slowly slipping away. You can feel it, do you not? There is something missing. Something that could make you better…whole. It is him. It is the White Dragon." 

Hitomi's eyes glazed over with emotion. "I didn't want to abandon what we had, but he pushed me away."

"Remember what I said. He did it thinking you would be happy here. Sending you home almost tore him apart. His love for you never faltered."

Hitomi slowly stood from her chair. "I have to go…" Grabbing her duffle bag from the floor, she seized the cold cup of tea and drained it in one gulp. "This is crazy and I….have to go now."

The old bells clanked wearily as Hitomi let herself out of the small, stuffy store. A fresh, cold breeze brushed her face as she hurried towards the train station. _Crazy, mad, but…she knows everything. What am I supposed to do?_

 **Tbc…**

A/N: To be honest, I did not even have an outline for this story when I posted the first chapter. I kind of thought I'd wing it just like when it comes to my college papers. Usually works out swimmingly. By now, I do have an outline. Just remember this will not be an intricate action/adventure fic but something fairly simple and fluffy. I still feel like it's my duty to research and lay it out well for the benefit of my peace of mind and your reading pleasure. Don't expect a new chapter super soon since I just started some more classes that require my attention.


	3. Chapter 3

~~Earth~~

Hitomi continued to fidget with the ring on her index finger the whole way, rotating it and smoothing the stone with her thumb. _What am I going to do…?_ The crisp night air slowed her thoughts slightly, but her heart never ceased its nervous pumping.

Just over ten years had passed since she had been separated from Gaea and all physical objects that served as a reminder of the distant world. Now, in just one day, not only had she been made to question her feelings for Van, but also the possibility to return to him.

 _It took me so long to get over what happened._

Every day she had lived her life thinking she would never come into contact with anything related to Gaea again and now this all of a sudden. Hitomi's breaths came in long puffs of condensed vapor as she attempted to reason through the situation. The kitchen lights in her family's house were off, but she could see a silhouette moving through the room as she turned onto the walkway leading to the front door.

She rang the doorbell but let herself into the unlocked house. "Mom!"

Her mother came around the corner, looking curious but visibly happy to see her. "Oh, Hitomi! What a surprise!" Mother and daughter hugged tightly and after Hitomi removed her shoes, they walked into the kitchen together. The warm wood panels on the walls still held the same sakura tree paintings, and Hitomi was pleased to see that little else had changed since she last visited. She immediately felt more at ease in her old home. 

"You cut your hair short again! Oh, it suits you beautifully. It shows off your lovely face so well." Her mother smiled fondly. 

Mrs. Kanzaki got to work at the kitchen counter. "How about some tea?" Already pulling out the kettle. 

Hitomi stopped her and shook her head a bit too eagerly. "Definitely no tea anymore today, thanks, mom." She sat on one of the chairs next to the kitchen table. "But if there are any dinner leftovers…." 

"Only fish soup. I'm afraid your brother and father went through everything else." Mrs. Kanzaki pulled a ceramic container from the fridge. 

Fish soup is great, thanks, mom." Hitomi smiled, watching her mother warm up a serving in a separate bowl. "Where are dad and Mamoru?" 

"They left right after dinner to go see a movie at the old theater. It will be a while until they come back." The microwave beeped and she set the steaming bowl of soup in front of Hitomi.

After inhaling the delicious scent, she took a careful sip from the big spoon. "Tastes just like I remember."

Mrs. Kanzaki sighed happily as she took the seat next to Hitomi. She brought a hand up to squeeze Hitomi's forearm gently. "I'm so glad you stopped by. We barely see you lately." 

Hitomi smiled apologetically. "Sorry mom, I'm just so busy prepping the girls for a competition on Monday. A few of the other coaches quit so I've been subbing a lot with other sports too."

"Don't be sorry dear. Remember when you had a tough time years ago? I'm so glad you found something you are so devoted to. It had such a positive impact on you. I couldn't be more proud." Mrs. Kanzaki lovingly patted Hitomi's arm, then pulled her hand away. "Will you stay the night? Your room looks just like always. I keep the bed made and the shelves dusted, just in case you have a bad day and decide that you need to stop by." 

"Mom you don't have to keep doing that," Hitomi mumbled in between slurps of soup. "I'll let you know next time before I drop by." 

Mrs. Kanzaki laughed "Not a chance." 

Hitomi laughed too now. "Fine, yes I'll stay the night. I'd like to soak in the tub for a while if that's alright. You know my place only has a shower."

Mrs. Kanzaki rose from her chair with purpose. "I shall draw a hot bath for my favorite daughter!" She announced with mock formality. 

Laughing again, Hitomi shook her head. "Thanks, mom. Much appreciated." 

Hitomi kept sipping the soup. After a while, the tasty dish had coated her stomach with a comfortable warmth. She took off her jacket and placed it on the back of the chair.

"Anytime you're ready, honey!" Her mother called from the top of the stairs. "I pulled a big towel out for you. I'm going to read my novel in the living room while you enjoy that bath."

"Sounds good!" Hitomi replied in an equally loud voice. She deposited the empty bowl and spoon in the old dishwasher and grabbed her duffle bag from the floor next to the front door on her way up the stairs.

Her socks slid softly over the steps on her way up and her fingers felt the familiar, worn handrail. A picture caught her eye in the cluster of photos along the stairway. It was a copy of the one she had in her room. The picture was taken right after a track event. By now, she had no trouble spotting the faint glimmer in her best friend's eyes as Yukari secretly gazed towards Amano. She smiled and continued up the stairs.

Steam was gently wafting out from under the crack of the bathroom door. A nice hot bath was just what she needed after today.

Hitomi made a quick detour into her old room and set down the duffle bag. Opening her closet, she scanned the contents she had left behind. Some skirts and shirts that likely were too small on her now. She made a mental note to go through it the next day.

 _It's been a long time since I spent the night here._

Luckily she found a faded, oversized T-shirt that would do nicely as a sleep shirt. She grabbed it and walked back into the hallway to enter the bathroom. The warm, moist air hit her face and she found that she was instantly more relaxed. After stripping down to her underwear, she regarded herself in the long, slightly fogged mirror on the back of the door. Her slender frame was still considerably pale even though she spent a large amount of her workday outside. 

Her strong legs were probably the most impressive part of her physique. Nicely shaped thighs and visible muscle definition on the sides made her proud. A smooth, round backside accentuated her feminine hips. She had certainly matured in the past decade. Soft outlines of abdominal muscles were visible towards the top of her belly. Going through rigorous training cycles for national competitions years ago had made her look fairly thin and she found she liked the extra weight she ended up gaining after officially retiring from the status of a competitive runner.

Her breasts remained fairly small and perky. She scrutinized them for a moment. _Well, it is what it is._ Shrugging her eyebrows, she turned towards the bathtub and slowly eased herself into the hot water. She sank into the tub with a deep sigh.

 _Heavenly._

Soaking in the hot water, she relaxed completely and interdigitated the fingers of her hands only to find herself playing with the ring again. _Ooooh, I have no idea what to do…_ She sank into the tub further, immersing her head all the way.

 _I can't just leave here. I have responsibilities. What about my girls and my family?_

This certainly was a predicament. If she decided to stay, she would never find out what it was that she was supposedly destined for in Gaea **again**. Was she even capable of wishing for it strongly enough? Last time, Van had powered half of the connection. And lastly, if she left, would she be able to come back?

A stream of bubbles tumbled out of her nostrils as she slowly raised her head from the water. _Or am I just afraid to be rejected again?_

When she noticed that her fingers were becoming wrinkly, she scrubbed herself neatly and stepped out of the tub. After toweling off, she pulled the long shirt over her head. It was quite big for her, even after she had grown into an adult woman. The hem still passed her backside easily. 

Suddenly very tired, she descended the stairs and found her mother in the living room. She was curled up on the couch reading a book, just as she had announced earlier. "Mom, the bath made me really tired. I think I'll go ahead and lay down. Since tomorrow is Sunday, I can stay for a while."

Her mother nodded. "Sure honey that will be nice."

Hitomi returned to her room and switched off the lights. Her old bed looked very fluffy and inviting. She stretched and was about to sit on it when a thought crossed her hind.

 _I wonder if…_

After walking over to her writing desk, she switched on the small reading light. She opened the top right drawer and there they were. Her old tarot cards. The neat stack rested against the back corner of the drawer. She pulled them out and stared at them in thought for a moment, before reluctantly cutting the deck with the other hand.

 _Of course._ She thought dryly as the Ace of Serpents lay face up on the pile.

 _Okay okay… I get it. You want me to go back. But what if I'm not sure if I want to? Or what if…_ she swallowed _…it won't work?_

She unceremoniously dropped the pile back in the drawer and pushed it shut a bit too forcefully. Hitomi plopped down on her bed and cocooned herself into the blankets, inhaling the scent of familiar detergent.

 _I should try to visit more often._ She thought as she quickly fell asleep.

~~Gaea~~

A woman clad in gold robes stood before the cage. Her hair was fashioned in an artistic pouffe. Grey hair and antique spectacles resting on the tip of her nose betrayed her age. With her smooth face, she looked to be no more than forty years old. She curiously adjusted the spectacles to allow her light, tawny eyes a better look at the dragon. 

Its long, scaly body shone in the light of the yellow orbs suspended in mid-air. The dragon's piercing yellow eyes narrowed as it regarded her through the bars of its prison. 

General Adelphus Gain crossed the large room as majestically as his metal walking cane allowed. A permanent injury to his right leg, a remnant of the Destiny War and courtesy of Basram's energist bomb, prevented him from walking without assistance. The cane clanked loudly on the cold floor as he moved. 

"General Gain. Are the sorcerers advancing well?" She remained calm and unimpressed when the green beast roared so loudly the cold, metal walls of the building almost seemed to vibrate from the force.

The woman brought out an arm from the depths of her robe and revealed a pale hand. The velvet dress she wore under her metal corset frame was a similar shade as her golden robes. Her lips, painted in a metallic color, curled up with approval when the general took her hand and bowed deeply over it.

"Yes, majesty. They have successfully compromised a small number of dragons. The beasts will attack anything in sight. Being calm no longer deviates them. It is only a matter of time before we will be able to control them." He smirked proudly as he rose to his full height. "The deflectors are in place around our borders."

The woman withdrew her hand to nestle it under her robes again. "Excellent."

~~Earth~~

Hitomi's eyes cracked open slowly as the sun began to illuminate her face. She yawned quietly and cradled the portion of the blanket she had been holding to her chest. 

_Perfect night's sleep. Exactly what I needed after this crazy day._ She brought her left hand to her right index finger. _Yep. Definitely didn't dream that._

She pointed and relaxed her toes in an alternating fashion as she pondered her situation. What was she going to do? The old woman had told her she was supposed to be on Gaea and that Van needed her, but she couldn't just up and leave everything here. Not to mention, she had no idea what the situation was like on Gaea. Had Fanelia been rebuilt? Was Van ruling a prosperous country? Was Gaea still at peace?

Burying her face in the pillow, she let out a muffled groan. _I'm an adult woman with a good life. Why am I worrying so much about somebody who cut me off and a world that should be perfectly capable of existing without me?_

… _because you never stopped loving him, Hitomi._

She opened her eyes and stretched her limbs.

 _I can't argue that._

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she slowly got up. She walked over to her closet and found a pair of soft cotton shorts. They were visibly too tight around her shapely legs and round backside.

 _Oh, my these are definitely going to have to go after today.  
_

After she deemed them fitting enough to still wear them around the house, she left her room and moved downstairs into the kitchen where her family was already having breakfast. They smiled warmly when they saw her and said their good mornings.

Her brother grinned widely as he got up from the table to hug her tightly, still chewing on the large piece of toast he had crammed into his mouth a moment ago. "Hey, sis. What an honor to have you home!" 

Hitomi reciprocated the hug with equal enthusiasm. Mamoru had grown tall in the past years, easily towering over her by a whole head.

"Thanks, big little brother." She kissed her father's cheek before settling in the only empty chair. "Hey, dad. Good to see you." 

Mr. Kanzaki nodded approvingly. "You really ought to visit more often, Hitomi." 

They continued to eat conversing about recent events in their daily lives. "Mamoru. Would you care to join me for a morning run?"

"Sure thing, sis. We'll see who caps out first. You may easily beat me when it comes to speed but a soccer game is 90 minutes long, so I got you on endurance." Hitomi flashed her tongue at him. "We'll see about that!"

Her brother had been lucky enough to be awarded a soccer scholarship for a local college. She tried to cheer him on at as many home games as her schedule allowed. Mamoru smoothed his brown, shoulder length hair behind his ears with both hands. "Say, did you change your hair?"

Hitomi and Mrs. Kanzaki stifled a snort. Her father did a double take. "Right. That suits you very well." 

Hitomi laughed quietly, not surprised at the lack of emotion. "Thanks, dad." 

They finished breakfast and the siblings met at the front door, clad in running gear. Hitomi in her full, grey tracksuit this time and Mamoru in a long-sleeved green shirt and black soccer shorts. His brown hair was pulled together into a low ponytail. She grinned inwardly at the sight. 

"Ready?" She asked energetically.

Mamoru nodded.

Hitomi set the pace as they started out at medium speed. The temperature had dropped again overnight. It wouldn't be much longer until it started snowing. The crisp air made the outlines of their surroundings appear especially sharp. On this early Sunday morning, the sidewalks were still fairly empty. Here and there they saw sleepily looking people walk their dogs whose tails were wagging enthusiastically at their owners. 

The sidewalk was narrow in this area, so Hitomi lead them. She rounded a corner with panache and forcefully collided with a slender body.

She caught herself in a stumble as the other person braced themselves hastily. "Oops, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed as she straightened herself. 

"Oh, 's ok miss." The young man stuttered as he took a step back from her.

Mamoru had come to a stop behind her. "Everything okay, Tomi?"

"Ye….Yes…" **_No!_**

She froze. The young man's face blurred out although her eyes were open wide. Her vision turned black and her head was engulfed in a strange tingle. The young man's slim form appeared. His bleach blonde hair was a stark contrast to the dark background. He nervously looked around as he quickly walked through the darkness muttering to himself.

'Boss said the geezer left home an hour ago. It's going to be mid-day before he comes back. I have to do this now.'

The mental image clearly showed the nervousness on the young man's pale face. It shifted to show him standing in an alley, busy breaking the lock on an antique store's back door. He threw his head left and right in the process, frantically checking for anybody who might be watching. The door snapped open and he rushed in.

'You fool. I can't believe you really came.' An old man stepped out from the side. The sharp blade of a big knife reflected what little light there was in the musty back hallway of the building. The young man visibly tensed. 'Shit…'

'Stupid gang of dirty thieves. Don't you think I am on to you? I've seen your people scope out my store for weeks.' 

The young man's eyes narrowed as he seemed to collect himself. He pulled out a spring knife from his jacket. The men circled each other tensely. Then the young man charged.

Hitomi gulped. _Oh no!_

She furrowed her brow. _Stop!_ She thought firmly, as if on autopilot. 

_NO._

The men stopped.

 _This can't happen._

The young guy pocketed his knife as the old man lowered his.

 _Don't do this._

The young man walked back towards the door in an awkward fashion. He backed out of the room and snapped the lock back into place, effectively restoring it. Speeding up, he left the alley still walking backward. 

His feet shuffled curiously as he took each step toes to heel. Faster and faster he walked until Hitomi snapped out of her trance. She caught his eyes as he maneuvered around Mamoru and disappeared behind the corner. 

She tried to hold on to the tingling. Her head felt as if it was covered in ants, her scalp and forehead tickling with movement and her brain feeling almost itchy. Concentrating on the feeling and following her instincts, she reached out around the corner and immersed him with her aura like a blanket. She gasped as she felt his turmoil, fear, and anger. A cold shiver made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She quickly made a decision. Pushing a jolt of energy through the superficial connection for a split second, she steered him into the signpost next to his shoulder forcefully.

A stream of explicit curses audibly reached them as the young man's nose cracked on the solid pole.

 _That ought to do it._

"…Tomi? Tomi are you alright?" Mamoru's voice pulled her from the daze as he waved his hand in front of her eyes.

She shook her head and coughed. "Yes! S… Sorry, big little brother. That just knocked the breath out of me for a moment. Let's go."

Her brother shrugged as he took the lead this time. Hitomi picked up her pace to catch up.

 _What on Earth did I just_ ** _do?_**

Her mind raced a mile a minute as they took a turn to enter the neighborhood park. She observed their surroundings as she let her body do the running. Had she just effectively taken over this guy's body for the brief moment?

 _I wonder if this changed the future._

With a broken nose, would he still follow through with his criminal plan?

She stared at the grass ahead of them. A little girl was flying a kite as her mother watched from the bench nearby. The girl's light jacket fluttered in the wind and her brown curls bobbed cheerfully. The kite danced in the air vigorously as a gust of wind made it change course. Hitomi stared at the scene intently.

The sky darkened and she suddenly witnessed the yellow kite spin out of control. It came down in a wide swing to entangle itself in the tree behind her.

 _Hmm…_

Hitomi stopped and narrowed her eyes. She quickly made a decision. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated her thoughts on the girl. She mentally reached out and the prickling feeling returned. Her consciousness closed in on the girl. She gently folded it around the little body and steered her arms, faintly aware of her innocent happiness. Cranking the spool, she reeled in the kite some distance. The connection snapped abruptly and left Hitomi with a sharp pain behind her eyes. The pain disappeared quickly, only to be replaced with a small, dull ache.

 _That is… wild. It's like I'm having visions but I can control what happens_ ** _before_** _it happens._ She quickly checked her right hand. The ring on her index finger was glowing faintly. _Interesting._

"Hey Mamoru, wait up!" She yelled as she bolted towards her brother. The girl giggled and squealed as Hitomi passed her and she was fascinated to see that the kite had not crashed into the tree after all.

The siblings continued their run as Hitomi randomly zoomed in on the few people that passed them. Time seemed to come to a standstill as she reached out with her mind to inspect their immediate future.

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. A few times, she found nothing at all. Once, she prevented an old lady from stepping into a pile of dog waste. _She's going to thank me for that later…or not, actually._

Another time she prevented a man from slamming his finger in a car door. She curiously wondered if the ring was the reason for her changing powers.

 _It almost seems like it's powering my abilities._

She had turned the stone to the inside of her hand where it had warmed her cold hand from the inside with its glow whenever she used the powers.

Her cheeks were flushed as they walked up the steps to the house. The dull ache behind her eyes had slowly spread to her entire head. "Well, sis. You did great. I didn't expect you to keep up with me for a whole hour!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and slapped his upper arm lightly. "Coach Kanzaki thanks you for your generous assessment."

They both laughed as they entered the house.

~~Gaea~~

Van could only stare at the pendant in slight irritation as it sat on the big mahogany desk in his private study. He had removed it from around his neck when it glowed for the fourth time this morning. Setting it next to the pile of papers he was working on, its glow had disturbed him more often than he was comfortable with. Impossibly tousled, black hair was a testimony to his worries.

He quickly slapped a hand over the pendant as a faint knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and immediately opened. Merle strode into the room swiftly. Her curvy hips swayed with each step and her striped tail matched the movements. The slightly stiff, dark blue fabric of her dress rustled as it dragged on the carpet. Long sleeves clothed her striped arms and a modest neckline covered her ample breasts. Intricate gold embroidery depicting the Fanelian crest wrapped around the bodice several times like a scroll.

"Van, the grand council is about to convene. You better hurry." The feline's voice announced impatiently.

She was slightly irritated to find him wearing only black breeches and a casual, grey kimono jacket that he hadn't bothered to tie again. The smooth, tanned skin of his chest stood out in stark contrast to the pale fabric around it.

The king ran his other hand through his hair in irritation. "I will be a few minutes late. Please give everybody my apologies."

Merle moved over to his desk gracefully and gently pried his hand off the table. "Van. Why do you keep hiding it? Do you really think I haven't noticed?" She asked dryly.

The pendant had resumed its inactive state, but Van's hand was warm where he had touched it.

The king's eyes narrowed. "It's nothing. It must be broken."

Merle shook her head lightly, her shoulder-length, candy apple colored hair swaying with the movement. "I worry about her too, you know?" 

He looked at her with surprise in his eyes. Merle released his hand and crossed her arms. "Check on her."

Van slowly rose from his chair. "No. I can't."

Merle's eyes narrowed. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Either," Van responded promptly. 

"I think," she growled "I feel rather ill. You may have to lead the grand council without me."

Van snorted, "I think not. We are in this together. If my memory serves correctly," he grinned darkly "there was a quite official event just a few years ago where you agreed to this."

~~Earth~~

Hitomi breathed deeply and slowly as she braced herself on the bathroom sink and stared at the running water. The dull ache in her head had amounted to a pounding over the last half hour. Her eyes widened as she felt something warm on her upper lip. A single drop of blood hit the sink and was washed away slowly; staining the water a light pink before it disappeared down the drain.

Tbc…

A/N: Oh boy this was a hard one for me to write. I had to come up with a way to describe Hitomi's powers and went into it with no idea how to do it. That said, I'm watching too much Stranger Things and Archer. Who can find the Archer reference?

Did the Anime ever establish Hitomi's brother's name? I couldn't find anything and dubbed him Mamoru.

Work is sending me to another island for a few days and I was hoping to get some writing in, but it's not going to happen so I had to edit this rather fast. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. I have it outlined until chapter 12, which is going to be towards the end. After that, I'm not sure how many chapters I will need to resolve everything. Thank you all for your patience and reviews. I mucho appreciate! 

Last but certainly not least a big THANK YOU to bluetreeleaves for helping me develop my ideas into something concrete. Her opinions were and will be a major influence on what's to come!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you SO very much to the people who have taken the time to review! I've already said this before but it does mean a lot to hear from you. If you want to know more about the thought process for some details in the story, I recommend you take the time to read my notes at the bottom.

Question: What medium do you read stories on here? I've been editing the paragraphs so they work well when reading this on the phone app but haven't considered how this looks on a computer screen. All I know is when the paragraphs get too long in my word doc, then they are uncomfortably long on a phone screen.

~~Earth~~

Sinking again into the soothing warmth of scented bathwater in her old home, Hitomi mulled over the events of this morning. Having had mental powers for over a decade now, not much could instill a feeling of surprise in her. The unexpected way they had grown into something entirely new, however, caused a strange feeling to extend in the pit of her stomach.

She carefully cleaned the inside of her nose where the blood had trickled down earlier. The fact that she had ended up with headaches of varying magnitudes, as well as a nosebleed, had her a tad worried.

 _Perhaps…_ she contemplated… _messing with the outcome of what I'm seeing is taking more out of me than I thought._ In addition to the slowly subsiding pain behind her eyes, she was starving.

After finishing the only full bath she would have the chance to take for a while, she dressed again in her tracksuit, deciding that she wanted to just be comfortable on her way home. Hitomi found the red dress freshly washed and neatly folded on top of her gym bag. 

"Thanks for washing my dress, mom," Hitomi said as she hugged her mother goodbye. She wanted to get home, regardless of her protesting stomach. 

Mrs. Kanzaki smiled fondly. "Don't mention it, dear." 

After exchanging hugs and goodbyes with her brother and father, as well as a few stern words about promises of more frequent visits, she was on her way. Hitomi was relieved to have been able to extract herself from the loving grasp of her family rather fast. She would have had a hard time escaping their suspicions that something out of the ordinary was happening.

Explaining the physical distress she was currently suffering would have been awkward and she decided that it was quite unnecessary to worry them.

 _What's actually going on though? I need to get to the bottom of what that old lady said._ Hitomi thought as each step put more distance between her and her family.

While she watched the form of her only daughter grow smaller in the distance, Mrs. Kanzaki couldn't help but wonder if Hitomi's slightly strange behavior had anything to do with the ring she had spotted on her hand. The pink stone looked almost identical to the one Hitomi had inherited from her own mother. Surely this was not a bad omen? She rubbed her arms with her hands as a cold feeling of foreboding slowly spread through her limbs. 

When the door of her apartment closed behind Hitomi and the lock snapped shut, she let out a sigh of relief. The trip home had been uneventful, but she had grown more and more tired by the minute. Without taking her shoes off, she walked into the kitchen and inspected the contents of her fridge.

Delighted at finding a small plastic container with overnight oats she had prepared two days ago, Hitomi decided that a cold lunch was better than having to exert herself with cooking a warm meal. She took the container and shuffled across the small area that separated her kitchen from the sitting area, finally kicking off her running shoes in the process. Her shoulders were slumped in exhaustion and all she wanted to do was eat and sleep.

The soft couch pillows engulfed her comfortingly as she sunk down low and popped the lid off the box. The oats and yogurt tasted tangy and stale which did nothing to rejuvenate her at the moment. Chewing thoughtfully, she folded her long legs at her side. 

_I wonder what would happen if I just kept on using my powers. I already know it doesn't always work, or that I can't see into everybody's future._

She pondered this for a moment.

 _It's probably best to not try anything again right now._

After she finished the contents of the container, she set it next to herself on the couch and rested her head on the pillow behind her head. The oats did a good job filling the gaping hole in her stomach, but she was still exhausted beyond belief.

 _Okay, just a short nap before doing the laundry. I've been avoiding that for days now._

~~Gaea~~

The king of Fanelia cleared his throat quietly as he stepped onto the low dais and took his seat in the other large chair next to Merle's own. After a proper scolding, he had swiftly disappeared into his private chambers to dress in his more representative, royal garb.

The gold metal trimming on the high collar of his dark blue shirt repeated itself in the intricate design of the golden coronet on his head he preferred above the big, official crown Fanelian rulers were required to bear at more official functions. A much more lose and comfortable, deep red Haori coat made from a soft, fine fabric was hemmed with embroidery depicting the Fanelian dragon crest. Luckily, the traditional dress code allowed him a simple pair of black breeches and boots to complement the traditional finery.

He tugged on the collar of his shirt and made a mental note to perhaps have somebody look into revising this part of the royal wardrobe. His wild hair had been hastily arranged to accommodate the coronet on the way to the grand hall. For all the changes he had made in Fanelia and especially around the palace, some traditions were still honored.

A single individual already stood in the middle of the room, encircled by the heavy, wooden tables which were crowded with the vassals of Fanelia making up the grand sunodos. Each vassal was an elected official of the people of Fanelia. Some were the heads of their guild, others respected members of society. Van and Merle were seated at the front of the room, while two of the four seats next to them reserved for the wyverns, the king's closest circle, remained empty.

Van leaned in and whispered to Merle. "Where is Gajeel?"

He didn't see her roll her eyes in mock annoyance. "In Repun. Surely you remember?"

"Right." Van rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger for a moment before he realized everybody was waiting for him. 

The figure in the middle of the room had patiently stood on the dark, lacquered wooden floor one would step on when bringing concerns to the grand sunodos of Fanelia.

"Second sunodos of the blue moon. Open to the concerns of Fanelia." Van declared in a voice full of royal authority. "State your business." 

A nervous smile graced the old man's face as he addressed Van. "My lord, I am a merchant from Furth. During the last three moons, I have lost three mules and one entire load of goods to the same group of bandits." He swallowed. "I fear that the roads between Furth and the capital are not safe anymore. We require some protection, especially at dusk and dawn."

Van quickly responded. "We will send a unit of soldiers to patrol at once. The safety of our commercial routes is of utmost priority. The crown expresses its gratitude for bringing this to our attention."

The man bowed curtly and left the circle. One after the other, citizens came to state their concerns and either receive a direct response from the king, or from the combined votes of the crown and vassals. 

At last, one of the wyverns himself rose to take the place in the middle. General Kur, Commander of the Wind Army had always preferred the lighter samurai armor above the more heavily plated one, whether in battle or around the palace. The grey material with the blue under clothing accentuated his one, pale blue eye. Rugged chestnut hair hung heavily over the patch covering the other. The light stubble on his face made him look older although he was close to the king's age.

"My lord, my lady and honored vassals." Without the need to introduce himself, Kur decided to address the subject of concern directly.

"There have been reports of violent dragon attacks near the northern border of Asturia, as well as sightings near Godashim. A falcon from Basram arrived just before this sunodos. I request permission not only from the crown but also from the people of Fanelia to withdraw some of the levi-ships patrolling the outskirts of our capital to enforce our borders more, especially to the north and east. Should an attack at the border regions occur, the people in our remote villages will be the first ones to suffer."

There was a collective gasp at the word dragons. Hushed whispers were exchanged while others were less considerate. A woman from the tables with a long, grey braid exclaimed loudly. "But dragons haven't attacked in years! How can this be?" More insistent discussion amongst the vassals followed.

Van silenced the room with a gesture of his hand and motioned for Kur to continue. "I do not know what the cause of these attacks is yet. The messages I have received so far are very brief. I, however, am hesitant to be lenient in taking their content seriously." He shot a dark look towards Van and Merle. "Heightened tensions between Zaibach and Basram may be the cause of the dragon attacks." 

It was common knowledge by now that dragons were peaceful creatures, just as long as one approached them with equally peaceful intentions. Violent dragons were usually a response to reckless provocation by foolish individuals.

Van's seemingly permanent frown grew more pronounced as he evaluated this concerning information. After a few moments, he turned to Merle and gave her a short nod. She swallowed nervously but slowly rose after thinking on this matter for some time. Why did he lately leave all of the difficult decisions to her?

Finally, she addressed the room with a resolved expression. "I propose the deployment of our four fastest levi-ships from the immediate area of the capital. We will divert the remaining two to patrol the sky directly above the city and the entrance of the mountain pass. In the event of an attack, the ships on the border will be the first to spot a hostile dragon intrude from the outside. A tighter border security should improve the ability to spot them." She quietly let out a long breath, wondering if she had made the strategically correct choice.

After sitting down, she looked at Van from the corner of her eyes and caught a slight nod. Relieved, she leaned back in her chair.

Van addressed the room "Those in favor?" He raised his own hand along with Merle, Kur, and more than half the vassals.

~~Earth~~

Hitomi woke slowly. Her neck was stiff and offended due to the awkward position she found herself in. She was curled up on the side of her couch, head resting on the soft but stiff armrest. The plastic container and spoon had tumbled to the floor and splattered some of the yogurt remnants across the carpet. 

_Great…_

She stretched slowly and looked towards the clock on the small radio next to her.

 _WHAT? That can't be right._

'06:39' it read in glowing, digital digits. Had she really slept for almost sixteen hours?

She looked out the big glass door leading to the small balcony. The sun was indeed beginning to rise, coloring the buildings outside in an orange hue.

To be sure, she walked into the kitchen and confirmed the time on the microwave. No doubt about it. She had slept for sixteen hours, on the couch, and it was Monday. 

_Nothing I can do about it. It's race day!_

Arms stretched high in the air, she yawned slowly. Apart from the neck pain, she felt completely revived. The sleep of the dead, so it seemed, had given new life to her tired body and mind.

 _I wonder if using my powers in these new ways just takes a big toll on me._

Curiously, she started to consider the possibility of calling forth a vision of somebody without physically seeing them.

 _I wonder if I could see Van…ugh no. Bad idea. What if I see something I don't want to see, like his family._

She slapped her hands across her eyes and slowly raked her fingers upwards and into her short hair, tugging it roughly to collect herself.

 _No. Somebody else._

Ignoring the plastic container on the floor, she settled into the couch again and closed her eyes. She started to picture Rai's face. Her green eyes and red, curly hair. The newly familiar tingle almost instantly started to tickle the top of her head as the pink stone glowed gently in its setting on her finger. Like a giant mass of ants, the tingle spread across her scalp and to the back of her neck.

The red-haired teenager smiled and waved at Hitomi in her mind. 'Hey, coach!' She spun on the heel of her new running shoes and started to jog. 

_Run faster._ Hitomi urged her on. Rai picked up her pace.

 _Run as fast as you would for the one hundred meters._

Rai obliged and as she changed her running form to that of a sprint, the familiar white lines on a long stretch of red tartan appeared. Around her, the stadium materialized. Crowds of people cheered and clapped. Hitomi was briefly distracted by the detail that fabricated itself in the simple scene she had meant to see.

 _Is this now actually her future, or something I am creating? I can't tell…. Well. Doesn't matter right now. I want to look at something. Focus, Hitomi._

Her attention snapped back to Rai, as her eyes moved wildly behind closed eyelids. She zoomed in on the girl.

 _Her form is good. Arms are in sync with her legs. Feet are a bit unsteady. Why?_

She concentrated on Rai's feet and the movement of each step she took, heels rolling to toes. Hitomi evaluated the movement for a few moments until she saw it.

 _Aha! New shoes still have a too stiff sole. Anything else?_

She switched her angle to regard the teenager's face. Her lips were pressed together.

 _Not good. Why is she not breathing through her mouth?_

After some time, Hitomi saw it and if anybody had been standing next to her, the laugh that escaped her would have surely startled them.

 _She had too much to drink and has water sloshing around her stomach._

Hitomi opened her eyes and stood from her seat with purpose. The faint pressure in her head went almost unnoticed. She retrieved her cell phone from her duffle bag and found Rai's phone number. While the phone established a connection, she picked up the duffle bag and walked into her bedroom.

"Good morning….Yes, it's coach Kanzaki…..mhm… are you nervous?... Listen, do you still have your old pair of running shoes?...Great, I want you to wear them today instead of your new ones. I have been thinking and it's probably better to compete with those instead of the ones you just got ….Oh… and skip the green tea this morning, ok?...Just trust me…. Very good… I'll see you, girls, there." 

She disconnected the call and opened her wardrobe to find the official, green tracksuit that identified her as an athletic coach of Kamakura Kita. After stocking her duffle bag with some additional fresh clothes and necessities, she decided that it would probably be the last day she could get away with wearing her favorite, red dress and denim jacket.

 _I better bring it in case I want to go get food after the race is over._ She grinned excitedly at the thought of treating herself to a quiet dinner at her favorite sushi restaurant.

The team of girls chattered excitedly amongst themselves as they stood in their designated area performing some warm-up stretches. Rai stood tall as she greedily took a swig of water from the large, almost empty bottle. Hitomi reached for it and snatched it out of her hand, effectively causing the rest of the water to splatter down the girl's face. Rai shrieked in surprise. 

Hitomi giggled apologetically. "Oops. Sorry, Rei." She shrugged. But I think you're hydrated well enough for a one hundred meter sprint.

"Ahm… okay coach, whatever you say." Rai stuttered in confusion, wiping her face on the bottom of her shirt.

When it was her time to step to the starting blocks, Hitomi spoke a few words of encouragement. "Don't forget to breathe through your mouth. You will do just fine. Trust me."

The girl smiled and nodded in response as she gave Hitomi a thumbs-up with both hands.

Her run was over fast. The changes Hitomi had tried to make seemed to have a positive impact on Rai's performance. Her strides were sure and steady and her breathing evener. 

She ended up coming in third. The best she had placed this season. Her whole team was ecstatic.

Five out of eight girls on her team managed to place. Three had qualified for the next race in two months, Rai being one of them. Hitomi was beyond proud.

"Coach, I'm so glad you told me to wear my old shoes! I felt so much more confident in them! It's almost like you knew!" Rai exclaimed excitedly with a smile that lit up her whole face. 

Hitomi laughed sheepishly. "Oh, it's just experience. Now keep wearing the new ones to practice so you get used to them more. Next time, they should be good to go." 

Rai nodded happily.

 _Wow… did we….I mean_ ** _I_** _just cheat?_ _Best possible outcome…_ She felt a small pang of guilt towards the other competitors but decided to worry more about it later. 

After the event concluded, Hitomi found the locker room designated for female staff members and changed into her street clothes. Her red dress smelled comfortingly like the detergent her mother had been using since she could remember. After slipping into her trusty denim jacket, she put on the pair of thick, knee-high stockings she had packed and slipped into her brown boots. 

It was only a short trip to Tanioka's from the stadium. The spicy ahi and rice bowl she ordered, tasted even better after such a victorious day.

As she sat and ate, she thought about her involvement in today's race results.

 _So...I am kind of getting the hang of this. I'm not sure what to do though. It's definitely not okay to keep messing with people's futures. I may be trying to do good but I don't know what it's doing to others. Or me, for that matter._

She thoughtfully traced the tip of her nose with the back end of her chopsticks

After leaving the restaurant, she enjoyed walking in blissful solitude. When the first snowflake fell, it landed on her nose and dissolved instantly.

She inhaled the icy air deeply as she turned into the familiar neighborhood park. Loose gravel crunched soundly under her boots.

 _Ah yes. Winter is definitely here now. I wonder what winter is like on Gaea._

Hitomi enjoyed the official change in season when suddenly, cold air churned to fire in her lungs. She clutched her throat as the breath she had been taking stagnated and caught in her larynx.

Wheezing noisily, she fell to her knees but managed to catch herself with one hand. The skin on her knees screamed in pain as the gravel dug into it harshly. She continued to wheeze and cough and clenched her eyes shut tightly, straining desperately. Then, like a powerful kick to the head, her brain exploded in pain. Her eyes and mouth snapped open in a silent scream.

She was no longer in the park. Instead, she found herself on a battlefield. Corpses littered the bloody ground around her, not just maimed and mutilated, but charred to the bones. The pungent smell of burned flesh filled her nostrils and seemed to spread into the depths of her lungs. She gagged silently. Hitomi didn't need to look up to know that two moons would be visible in the sky.

Her vision blurred and shifted. She stood in the square of an unfamiliar, big city. People were screaming in panic as a massive dragon unleashed a powerful flame from the depths of its glowing, bulging belly. Hitomi watched in horror as a mother shielding her small child was reduced to nothing by the scorching flames. The beast touched down in front of her and its glowing yellow eyes pierced her with their stare.

 _By the Gods NO!_

She was torn away from the scene and suddenly found herself high in the sky, circling a very familiar palace. Its structure sat high atop an elevated platform, crowned by the massive growth that was the elder tree, which had survived even the aggressive destruction of the Zaibach forces over a decade ago. Fanelia's capital looked prosperous and proud, but her observation was cut short by the abrupt descent. Her massive, blue wings… _why do I have_ **_WINGS?!_** powered her direct route towards the palace.

Hitomi had no control over what was happening. She was along for the ride, behind the dragon's third eye, as it deliberately aimed for the castle down below. Its movements were decisive and precise. A feeling of the coldest winter spread in her belly as the beast focused its power in one, single ball of ice and energy, ready to strike the elder tree in the center of the palace structure.

 ** _NO!_**

Hitomi bellowed. Her breath finally flowed freely again and the cold sensation spread from her belly into her limbs. It engulfed her as a whole. She could feel her body freeze in slow motion. The last thing she consciously felt were her eyeballs exploding with pain as a throbbing burn engulfed them from the inside out.

~~Fanelia~~

The pendant glowed brightly on top of the king's mahogany table. On the westernmost lookout of the castle walls, a single, tall form took note of the faint glow through the forest in the dark night. With swift, practiced movements, it descended the outer wall and deftly landed on the roof of a building below. The figure gracefully jumped and dashed from roof to roof, towards the forest in the distance.

When she slowly started coming to, Hitomi still felt cold. Lifting her head from the hard ground caused it to throb painfully. A small splatter of blood in the dirt was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. It mixed interestingly with the sparse, fresh snow. The back of her hand came away with a mix of crusted and fresh blood as she wiped her nose and lips.

 _Oh no._ She thought in slight panic. _How long was I passed out?_

A sudden feeling of dread hit her as she recalled the mental images.

 _Gaea is in danger._

In her mind, she saw the twin moons hanging in the night sky before her eyes did. She inclined her head to confirm her suspicions. The movement caused her left eye to twitch and prickle in pain. After staring at the moons for a minute, she brought her legs to her side and gingerly rubbed her scraped knees.

She removed the tangled strap of her duffle bag from across her shoulder, unzipped it and found a small towel. She rubbed her nose and lips until her face felt clean. Dark red smears stained the white towel when she was done. She wiped her knees carefully for good measure, although the scrapes were mostly superficial.

Hitomi gasped in fear when she heard rustling in the underbrush. She quickly staggered to her feet and stupidly held the useless towel out in defense. "Who… who's there?" She demanded wearily.

The figure laughed softly and slowly revealed itself. Tallgrass grazed dark brown, leather boots which ended just under the knee. Powerful legs were covered by tight, black pants secured with a heavy looking belt, and a dark red shirt corseted the wearer's ample breasts. The feline's tail was lazily swinging to and fro. Long, fingerless gloves, Hitomi imagined with concern, provided convenient freedom to use her sharp claws. 

An amused snort escaped the feline's mouth when she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her cobalt blue eyes narrowed and her candy apple colored hair moved slightly at the twitch of her large, furry ears.

"Merle?" Hitomi gasped, emerald eyes wide as she dropped the useless towel in shock.

 _I'm definitely back on Gaea. But...how? I didn't wish for it._

Back on earth, Moira shakily drew her last breath as she smiled peacefully. "Your heart did."

Tbc…

A/N: And we have arrived! I feel the need to explain some things. Why? Idk.

Moon = month.

What I wanted to do differently from most other stories I have read: 

Weather- It always seems to be warm in Gaea but damnit, winter is coming! Boom. So there's that.

Dragons- Never enough dragons. There will be dragons, as you may have already gathered.

How Hitomi gets to Gaea again- she def didn't wish for it consciously, but here she is.

I derived the word "sunodos" from the word synod, which is really a word describing the advisory council of the pope. The word "advisors" and "council" just seemed too easy to use and I put a lot of thought into the political structure of Fanelia. More explanations about that to come as we progress.

What's going on anyway? Zaibach and Basram at war? It sure appears so. Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Good grief! How is this chapter 14 pages long when they are usually around 8? Because of all the talking, I guess. I'm so bad at writing dialog. Bear with me. A lot of things needed to be explained to bring Hitomi up to speed. 

~~Nowhere~~

When Moira woke, she was surrounded by a thick mist. Struggling to her feet from her prone position, she was surprised to find herself free from pain of any kind. Instead of her own clothes, a loose, silvery robe covered her.

"Come to us, child." A chorus of voices demanded.

She obediently padded through the mist, her bare feet disturbing the mirrored ground softly, like leaves on water. When she reached the edge of the mist, the ground solidified into smooth, charcoal stone.

Her eyes widened in wonder at what she saw. A tall, thin human-like shape approached her. It seemed as if it was made from the fabric of the universe itself. Instead of skin, there was only a deep darkness. Inside of it, galaxies and stars and nebulae moved in a lazy tempo. Moira's eyes glowed as she stared at the empyreal being. 

"You have served us well. You may join us now." Many voices, some male, and some female emanated from it. 

She shook her head in a daze and moved to speak when the being already answered her impending question. "We are you and you are us. We are the Atlantean god Moiragetes. We are the ministers of fate." 

Three robed figures stood in a circle some distance away. One of them held a staff, a curious looking one, with silver lines across its length resembling a yardstick. "Klotho! Atropos! Bring her thread so I can measure it." She spoke dispassionately. 

"Mmmmh yes. Lachesis, let me snip it!" The shortest giggled. She balanced the sharp looking end of her scissors on the tip of her index finger.

"Pay them no mind. They cannot harm you." The ethereal creature spoke in the collective voices of oracles throughout history. "Come join us."

And she did.

And then she knew everything.

~~Gaea~~

Merle covered her mouth as she snickered. "What were you going to do with that towel? Strike me with it?"

Hitomi stared at her dumbfounded. "Well….I don't know."

The two women stood in the clearing for some time, scrutinizing each other undecidedly.

Merle's face had grown more feminine. She now reminded Hitomi a lot of Naria and Eriya. The stripes in her fur accentuated her facial features in an elegant way and her hair, although similar in length and color as Hitomi remembered, lacked its childish shape and now fell around the neko's face in a more refined manner.

Merle was the first to move. She took two graceful steps and enveloped Hitomi in a tight hug, which she returned without further hesitation. "It's so good to see you, Hitomi." Merle purred into her ear.

She seemed to have grown not only slightly taller than Hitomi but also more voluptuous in places where she herself lacked curves. Still somewhat at a loss for words, she didn't respond the feline's sentiments apart from reciprocating the hug. 

"How did you get here? I never saw the pillar of light. Did you make the wish?" Merle asked after both women dissolved the hug. She looked at Hitomi agog with expectation.

Hitomi looked into Merle's wide, cobalt eyes. "I didn't wish for it. To be honest, I have no idea why I am here." She softly spoke, smoothing her short hair on one side. Hitomi directed her gaze towards the sky. A few snowflakes slowly tumbled through the air illuminated by the twin moons.

"Although." She said, "I have a feeling that it's got everything to do with a strange encounter I had a few days ago." A queer pang nudged her heart as she briefly thought about Moira. "…and a vision I had just before waking up here." She added.

Merle tilted her head in thought. "I see. I am curious to hear all about it, but it's best if we did it at the palace. I don't like the cold…" At those last words, her tail puffed slightly.

Hitomi couldn't help but be a bit amused, despite the situation she was in. _Of course, she doesn't like the cold. Cats like it warm.  
_

Merle narrowed her eyes in distrust as she caught a small smirk on Hitomi's face. "What are you grinning at?"

"Nothing. **Nothing!** " Hitomi waved her hands defensively and picked up her duffle bag.

Hitomi trekked through the tall, snowy grass next to Merle a bit awkwardly. Not living near any forests made it strange for her to be surrounded by so much undomesticated nature. She briefly remembered days and nights spent traveling through the vast lands of Gaea. Back then, this all had seemed natural. 

With sentimental unease she remembered the time she had woken up on the bare, hard ground next to a fire and found Van looking at her sadly, his beautiful wings spread wide for her to see.

"So, Hitomi." Merle's words startled her a bit as they pulled her from those thoughts. "What has life been like for you on the mystic moon? What is it that you do?" She looked at Hitomi inquisitively as they finally made their way towards an opening in the dense forest.

"I'm a track coach at my old school."

Merle tapped her cheek in thought. "What's a track coach?"

Hitomi wondered if she had ever explained this to anyone on Gaea before. "I'm an athletic trainer. I'm knowledgeable about how the human body works and how to make it stronger and faster. Running track is like…foot races. I was already doing this when we first met. We compete to find out who the fastest is."

"I see." Merle nodded, as they turned onto a wide dirt path. "That sounds like fun!" She decided.

Hitomi could now see the tall city walls in the distance. They looked heavily fortified, emanating an indomitable, stoic vibe.

 _Speaking of stoic_.

Hitomi briefly considered asking Merle about Van, but when she finally worked up the nerve to do so, they came to a stop at the guard post.

The guard saluted Merle promptly as they approached him.

"Enki, send word to the palace. The wyverns are to assemble at the roundtable." She ordered. "…and the king." She added with a glance towards Hitomi. 

"At once, my lady." He responded promptly.

When they moved to walk away, Merle raised a finger and turned back to the guard who was about to disappear into the tower. "Wait a minute. Never mind about sending for the fire general at the palace. I know where to find her."

The guard nodded courtly and disappeared as she turned back around and motioned for Hitomi to follow.

"Who is this fire general?" Hitomi asked.

"She is one of the four samurai generals," Merle explained. "We quite overhauled the fighting forces of Fanelia in the years after the war, seeing as how the Horn, Tusk, and Claw armies were defeated so easily by the Zaibach forces." She added with a grim face. 

Hitomi pressed her lips together tightly before speaking again. "But, I thought… there would be peace after the war ended."

They sauntered along what seemed to be the main street. The irregularly shaped cobblestones felt weird and unfamiliar under Hitomi's boots.

Merle chuckled darkly. "Hardly. After the dust settled, Zaibach quickly crowned a new ruler. She and general Gain are on a mad course for power. A good part of Zaibach was destroyed by Basram's energist bomb... Hitomi, they want revenge and who knows what else. Probably Basram's technology too. The allies have been trying to get Basram to decommission their war machines, but they refused." She signed deeply. "I promise we will tell you everything in more detail, but it's easier with the help of the others."

"Maybe... "She turned to face Hitomi and lightly touched her arm. "Maybe you were meant to help us. Oh, Hitomi. We are only on the sidelines, but we need to try and stop another outright war before they destroy Gaea with their mad weapons and sorcery. Already, the conflict is spilling into Asturia and Freid on the borders." 

Hitomi considered what she had learned for a moment. When she was about to answer, something caught her attention on the walls beside her. Due to the darkness, she had not been able to discern any details in the buildings around her until now. On this corner, however, a street lantern was casting a gentle, yellow glow.

Hitomi took a step towards the curious structure enclosed in the wall and ran her hand across the curved wood. "Is this an old doorway?"

Merle shrugged. "Probably. We pretty much had to rebuild the city using its own rubble." She flexed her fingers "We didn't have much to work with shortly after the war, so each and every citizen who returned took part in reconstruction, including Van and I. He wouldn't let anybody touch the palace until every one of our people had a home to call their own again."

Hitomi nodded in awe. "Like a phoenix from its ashes."

Merle furrowed her brow curiously. "What?"

"Oh, it's just an expression. A phoenix is a bird from mythology. When it dies, it bursts into flames and is then reborn out of its ashes." Hitomi offered, wondering if any such thing existed on Gaea. There was a lot about this world she had not had the chance to learn due to the nature of her visit back then.

Merle smiled "I like that. You will have to tell me more about it sometime." She pointed down the alley close to them. "Right now, we need to get Darriah. She most likely is in that tavern, showing some new soldiers how capable a proper lady really is."

Letting Merle walk ahead, Hitomi took a moment to inspect the buildings around her more closely. Now that she knew what to look for, she was in awe over the structural integrity and curious cluster of materials the houses around her seemed to be put together from. One of the windows they passed was definitely made from the bottoms of colorful bottles and forged together in a sturdy metal frame. It almost seemed like art to her.

The tavern was lit up a bit more than the residential buildings around it. Muted voices could be heard from the outside. Merle pushed the door open and entered first. They were greeted with the warm and acidic smell of stew and alcohol. The jeering and yelling instantly became very loud against Hitomi's eardrums.

They stomped their feet lightly to rid their boots of the sleet that had collected on them during their walk and moved through the small room.

None of the people took note of the newcomers seeing as how all patrons were presently crowded around a table in the corner.

"Two coins! Add two coins to my wager. She will kick his buttocks!" A man in a worn noragi jacket spat in between gulps of ale from his tankard as he passed an older individual the money.

"Never!" A younger, seemingly very imbibed soldier piped. "She is only a woman!"

Merle and Hitomi moved closer until Hitomi could make out the people sitting at the table everybody else was gathered around.

Another very young looking soldier sat at the table, his face contracted in exertion. One elbow was on the table and his hand was braced tightly against that of a dark-skinned woman. Her face was strained, but instead of exertion, she radiated confidence and amusement. Her dark eyes stared down the soldier intently while her muscular arm bulged as she wrestled the man's arm for dominance. 

"Let me guess. Darriah?" Hitomi asked with an eyebrow raised in amusement.

Hitomi supposed the woman to be in her early forties, but considering what she could see of her impressive physique, she couldn't tell for sure. Her coarse, black hair was put together in a firm braid which nestled comfortably between the muscles of her upper back.

"Correct," Merle confirmed. 

Hitomi continued to observe the spectacle. They were arm wrestling, cheered on by the drunken crowd around them. Men and women, some in light armor and others in plain garb, chattered and yelled excitedly at the display. More wagers were exchanged as the ale and mead flowed generously.

"She was one of the first women to complete training and challenge Van. The barracks continue to admit new recruits. Every so often, a new batch finishes training and is sorted into one of our four armies." Merle explained and nodded her head towards Darriah. "The rookie soldiers are to prove themselves in one on one combat, mostly with swords, and whoever makes it to the last round is given the honor to challenge the king. A new group should actually be ready tomorrow, now that I think of it."

Hitomi slowly nodded her head to indicate that she was following Merle's explanation.

"In the end, this last soldier is allowed to choose the army they want to join. The others are sorted based on their abilities. Darriah impressed Van a lot. She chose to join the fire army and rose through the ranks quickly. Van saw her potential and made her commander four years ago. She is also one of the few people who provide counsel to him. His closest circle is called wyverns." 

The young soldier roared loudly as the back of his hand was smashed against the sticky table, sending small, empty shot glasses scattering across its surface.

"NO!" He exclaimed in desperation. 

"Oh yes!" Darriah laughed with a satisfied grin on her face.

Two small shot glasses were promptly delivered to them by a waitress who had managed to squeeze herself through the crowd.

The liquid was on fire. Darriah deftly reached for it and gulped its contents down in one movement, while the soldier still stared at her in disbelief. He swallowed heavily. The crowd was busy collecting their winnings, but some laughed at his misery.

The man who Hitomi had witnessed raise his wager slapped the young man on the back. "Better do it quickly, boy. Also, next time be sure to not underestimate the fire general." 

The young soldier alternated his fearful stare between Darriah's face and the flaming liquid in his glass. Finally, he took it, closed his eyes and quickly drained it. A violent cough shook his entire body until his companion handed him a tankard of ale. Gulping it greedily, he slowly seemed to calm down. 

Darriah laughed again heartily and patted the guy's forearm as she slowly rose. "You shall be just fine in a few minutes. Well done."

The guests around them now started to take note of Merle and Hitomi. Some bowed to Merle on the way out. "My lady, it is an honor to see you." Said an older man as he passed them.

Darriah nodded to Merle as she took some coins from the man who had previously collected the wagers. She dropped them into a small pouch and tied it to her belt.

Hitomi now had a better view of what the rest of her looked like. Not surprisingly, her lower body was just as muscular as her arms and back. She wore a short, tight skirt with her light chest plate and carried a curved sword at her right hip. The muscles on her legs rippled under her dark skin as she walked towards them.

"Ah, highness." She exclaimed and bowed deeply, which seemed to be meant more as a playful gesture than a serious display of courtesy. Hitomi shot merle a confused look.

Merle shook her head. "Stop that, you know I don't like it."

"But milady…" Darriah snickered before Merle interrupted again. 

"None of that. We have business to attend to." She stated impatiently.

Darriah's face grew more serious now. "What happened?"

Merle motioned at Hitomi. "She happened."

The older woman's dark eyes moved to Hitomi. "And who might this beautiful young lady be?"

"Darriah, this is Hitomi Kanzaki, she just arrived from the mystic moon. I take it you remember her involvement in the Destiny War quite well from the books and my stories."

Darriah's eyes widened in disbelief. "Amazing! It is an honor to meet you, seeress!" She bowed her head to greet Hitomi.

Hitomi nodded back a bit awkwardly. "Hitomi will do, thank you."

Without explaining more, Merle turned and said. "I called the wyverns and the king to assemble at the roundtable. Let's go." A few long strides brought her to the door which she held open for Hitomi and Darriah. 

They exited and Hitomi greedily breathed in the cleaner smelling air. They walked silently for a while until Darriah turned to Hitomi. "So, are they really true? The stories about you." 

Hitomi pulled her shoulders together and adjusted the strap of her duffle bag. "Uhm… I guess that depends on which ones you mean."

Darriah smiled at her widely, "Can you truly see the future?"

The walkway started to incline as they reached the structure of the big palace.

"I… yes," Hitomi answered after hesitating for a moment. There was no reason to hide it from her. Since the older woman had referred to her as seeress, Hitomi assumed she knew about most of her deeds on Gaea. She wondered how widespread this knowledge was with the other citizens. 

Darriah nodded. "The history books write much about the White Dragon King and his seeress. Together, you breached the last defenses of Zaibach and saved all of Gaea!" 

Hitomi sucked in a sharp breath at the word 'dragon'.

"Don't be so modest, friend. You are quite the soldier yourself. I briefly told Hitomi about your rise through the ranks." Merle said proudly.

Darriah let out an amused chuckle. "Only you could speak of me with such merit when it is me who owes you and the king my current position. You see, lady Hitomi, people with my heritage were not regarded as equal citizens before Lord Van claimed his throne. It is solely his trust in me and lady Merle's firm belief in my abilities which has helped me and other Fanelian citizens with the same heritage gain the respect we deserve." 

Hitomi thought on this for a moment as they climbed the steep hill the palace was built on. She remembered that Merle, as well as Naria and Eriya, had been outcasts of society, having had to endure horrific things at the hands of humans. Was there not such a big difference after all, between the social problems on Earth and Gaea? 

"I am proud to be a citizen of Fanelia, a country most notably known for its openness towards individuals from all tribes of Gaea. I always lived here, but now I can thrive." She stated firmly.

Her next words were drowned out as they reached the wide set of stairs in front of the palace's main gates. Hitomi's mouth fell slightly agape when she stopped abruptly at the sight of the person on top of the stairs.

 _Van._

Time seemed to come to a standstill as they stared at each other. Hitomi's mouth grew uncomfortably dry as she tried to make out the look in his deep red eyes across the distance. He unquestionably looked every part the king that fate had elected him to be. Ebony hair wild as ever, his posture reflected a fusion of regal elegance and something Hitomi could only interpret as stubbornness.

He was darkly handsome dressed all in black. The pants fit tight around his capable looking legs and the jacket with the high mandarin collar conveyed an air of authority and something else. It made him look unapproachable. Hitomi swallowed unnecessarily as she considered her likely dirty dress and jacket. It was hard to read his face across the distance, but one thing was for sure: he was most decidedly not happy to see her.

The moment was over rather quickly as he turned and strode towards the heavy, wooden doors of the palace. **His** palace. She remembered that he was no longer a mere stubborn teenager but the ruler of an apparently prosperous country. Well, stubborn after all still seemed to apply.

Merle and Darriah had not noticed the frosty exchange as they were talking to each other. At last, Merle caught sight of Van's retreating form when they crested the top of the stairs and called out to him. "Wait up, Van!"

No. She couldn't be here. Not now. It wasn't safe. He couldn't get her involved in this, not endanger her in the crossfire of another war. Why was it that his world was so beset with violent conflict? She needed to leave. Immediately. Hitomi was supposed to lead the safe and happy life in her own world that the pendant had shown him. A good life. A damn good life. Merle's voice permeated his racing thoughts.

He made no move to stop and disappeared behind the large, wooden doors.

Hitomi awkwardly walked towards the wide, roundtable as Van's dark eyes regarded her from the other side, all intentions to immediately speak to him forgotten under his intense gaze. 

Nobody sat. Darriah and Merle stood next to Hitomi, while a handsome man clad in light, grey armor swiftly entered the room. The one eye not covered with a patch quickly moved in its socket to analyze the scene. Not entirely sure of the situation, he stood between the two parties.

"Kur. Thank you for making it here so quickly. I called everybody because we have a guest. This is Hitomi, the seeress from the mystic moon." Merle introduced her mainly for his sake.

His eyes widened in wonder. "How?" He was apparently taken aback. Not only had he been woken in the dead of night to attend an important gathering of the close circle, but Merle had also provided some quite shocking news.

Sure, he had learned about the involvement of the seeress from the mystic moon in the Destiny War from history books and stories of soldiers, but to see her in real life and without any previous announcement was quite the surprise, to say the least. 

"Not sure," Merle answered promptly. "What I do know is that Hitomi was brought here for a reason. She helped stop one war, so maybe she can help again. Hitomi, it's time to explain what is going on." Merle turned to face her, completely ignoring the fact that Van was glowering at her and looking very much like the pigheaded teenage boy again. 

Hitomi raised her eyebrows in concern and cleared her throat. "Excellent idea. Please do."

Merle took a deep breath. "The short version: After you left, everything seemed to be just fine. Across Gaea, everybody was busy with reconstruction efforts. Zaibach was quietly licking its wounds and Basram was visibly shocked by the destruction their energist bomb had caused. After Zaibach's new emperor Zita was crowned, tensions rose. She came heavily supported by General Adelphus Gain. Together, they want Basram's technology, or to take revenge. Probably both. Meanwhile, Basram's scientists never stopped tinkering with their arsenal of weaponry." She shot Kur a strange sideways glance, which he returned with a barely noticeable shake of his head.

Hitomi shook her head slowly. "But… I didn't see any such thing. Dragons...I saw dragons."

Kur's attention shifted from Merle to her. "How do you know about the dragon problems? We just learned about this new development ourselves today!" His face was lit up with questions.

"I had a vision. I saw so much death, fire and … Van." She looked at Van with intensity. "I can't let what I saw happen. When I returned to earth ten years ago, I still had some of my powers. I kept getting…help from them. They warned me sometimes when I was in danger. Just…small things mostly, like preventing injury. A few times they prevented me from getting robbed or assaulted."

She avoided direct eye contact with anybody, missing the flicker of anger in Van's eyes at her last sentence.

Hitomi continued to explain. "A few days ago, I had a strange encounter with an old woman who claimed she was sent to Earth from Gaea decades ago. She said Gaea needed me and gave me this." She lifted her right hand to show the ring on her index finger, omitting the parts Moira had mentioned about Van and Hitomi in particular. "After I came into possession of another energist, my powers grew. I've been able to see and alter some futures when I tested them. Don't get too excited though, it's mainly been small events."

Merle gasped. "That's so different than what you used to be able to do!"

Hitomi turned to face her. "I know. The ring seems to be amplifying the powers I already had. What I think its doing is channeling my energy to touch a person's aura and control them for a brief moment in order to affect a better outcome." She shrugged lightly.

"I think I can sort of control fate." With her last words, she slowly shifted to look at Van again.

So this was why the pendant had been acting up lately. He had been keeping an eye on the pendant's activity over the past years, carefully paying attention to any changes. In the beginning, its glowing activities had been quickly identified as Hitomi using her powers, with a separation across dimensions apparently not enough to cut her ties to it. He always kept it close.

Each time he noticed Hitomi use its powers, he worried. Any attempts to investigate or establish a connection with her again had failed due to the lack of involvement on her part, not that it was a good idea anyway. She was destined for a happy life in her own world. Then by the gods, why was she here?

Regardless of his thoughts, he shook his head methodically. "No, Hitomi."

She took a deep, slow breath at hearing him say her name for the first time. "Go back to your home while you still can." He said quietly as he regarded her carefully across the short distance.

His own worries about her wellbeing calmed, he decided that rejecting her was the safest course of action. It was for her own good.

Merle gripped the backrest of the chair in front of her tightly. "But Van! She may be able to help! She can see and change…" 

"She will **not** be used as a tool for war again!" Van punched the top of the round table with a flat hand to emphasize his words.

"You hate war!" He turned to look at Hitomi. "Go home now, before you get involved again. Gaea is not your responsibility. You can't stay."

Kur and Darriah followed the heated exchange attentively. The older woman furrowed her brow heavily. 

"Well, I will have you know that I did **not** wish to come here in the first place!" Hitomi began to feel agitated. "But I **am** willing to help if I can." She announced with growing impatience. "Regardless of your approval." 

Was he really trying to tell her what to do? Surely not! She felt new determination within herself. Fresh purpose invigorated her like few other things in recent years. Her life on Earth was sheltered and good, but she realized that apart from running, it lacked the passion towards a greater objective. Gaea was her second home, a place far away that had matured and altered her significantly. She loved it.

"If you need my help, I will provide it." She stated with her right-hand flat on her chest. 

"Think about this carefully. " Van hissed. "We were all lucky to survive back then. It may not end the same way this time, even if you have new powers."

"I'm willing to take the risk. " Hitomi replied heatedly, more angry about his lack of response to her returning after such a long time than the possibility of being in harm's way again.

Merle timidly lifted her hand as she spoke. "Those in favor of letting her stay?"

Darriah and Kur's hands slowly joined hers in agreement, while Van crossed his arms in front of his chest and lowered his head to glare at the table. At that moment, Merle though, he so much resembled the young boy she had grown up with and grown to love dearly. 

_Forgive me, Van. You keep encouraging me to make important decisions for the sake of Fanelia and I am starting to realize sometimes considering the greater good means putting others, especially those you love, in possible danger._

Hitomi noticed Merle's ears sag a bit. Just what was going on between them? There were some big changes in behavior on Merle's part compared to the last time she had seen them. Whether this was due to her maturing or something else, Hitomi wasn't sure.

Van's arms unfolded from where they were crossed in front of his chest and his hands fisted tightly as he looked directly at her.

"Fine." He sighed dejectedly and left the room with a few strides of his long legs while avoiding everybody.

Merle laid a comforting hand on Hitomi's shoulder. "Hitomi. I'm sorry about Van. Give him some time."

Hitomi stifled a laugh at the absurdity of the situation. _Considering what happened, it's really me who should be moping, not him._

"Come. We will find a room for you. It's very late and we can talk more in the morning." Merle promised.

Hitomi followed her quietly down a number of hallways. As she took in her surroundings attentively and realized this was her first time in the new palace, she also noticed the warmth throughout the vast building. She had anticipated feeling lost in the big structure but was amazed to experience an impression of comfort and intimacy. Where she expected bare, cold stone, there were warm wood, carpets, and other decorations such as fabric screens and tapestry. The large palace seemed homely and it calmed her nerves while she followed Merle's graceful steps up to a dark, polished sliding door. 

"You will like this one." She announced cheerfully. "It's one of the guest rooms facing the gardens and forests behind the palace. Usually, visiting dignitaries or royalty stay here. With what's going on, we haven't had a visitor in a while." She said as she pushed the door open for them.

Hitomi regarded the small chamber, which was occupied by a chaise lounge, two chairs, and a low table. She quickly realized that this was probably only an antechamber as Merle moved over to open another door on the side of the small room. 

It opened into a beautiful suite, furnished with an ample bed, wardrobe, dressers, a full-length mirror, a writing desk and tall windows covered with heavy, red drapes. In the middle, a set of glass doors allowed the occupant access to the private balcony overlooking the garden and forest Merle had mentioned. 

"It's late Hitomi. I think you should rest so we can talk more tomorrow. There is a small washroom." She pointed to the back corner of the room. "We have a bath grotto in the basements. It's also part of the heating system in the palace. I will take you there tomorrow after we break our fast. Most of the household staff is asleep right now, but I will send for someone to lay out a few more clothes for you first thing tomorrow morning." She looked Hitomi up and down. "By the way, I like this outfit better than the one you wore last time." She smiled. "But you may want some variety. Anyway, good night, Hitomi."

"Thanks, Merle. Good night."

Hitomi was stunned after she mulled over everything that had happened in the past hour. She simply kicked off her boots, deposited her duffle bag next to the bed, and fell asleep on top of the covers without further ado.

As promised, Hitomi found an array of clothing laid out on the chaise lounge in the antechamber when she woke. Merle came to find her shortly after. Cobalt blue eyes wide, she assured Hitomi that a bath was quite necessary before taking breakfast. 

She picked a simple, cream-colored kimono dress for Hitomi to change into later. It came with a red obi-like belt and would be appropriate for her to wear around the palace after a nice bath. Hitomi followed Merle down a number of hallways and staircases again. Would she be able to find her own way around here soon, she wondered as she observed her surroundings again. 

As they descended yet another staircase, the tapestries on the walls slowly gave way to bare rockface and the stairs became more uneven.

"The baths have been here for centuries and even survived the Zaibach attacks," Merle explained as the walkway forked. "Ladies on the right, men on the left." She stated as she continued on the way to the right. 

"There are some hot springs down here which keep the water warm at all times. Everybody who lives in the palace can use it. Down here, we are all equal." Merle smiled.

Hitomi watched Merle undress without hesitation and after a moment followed suit. Sure she had become more comfortable with seeing other women naked, as was common for locker rooms and showers in sports settings, but she realized she had never given any thought as to how the neko might look in the nude. 

Merle was beautiful. The cat girl had matured into a stunning woman with curves in all the right places and Hitomi blushed as she wondered how Van could have possibly resisted such a body pressed up against the side of his arm. Then again, Merle had also matured in behavior and was definitely emotionally wiser and more reserved. How to know for sure? Now was as good a time as any.

"Merle…about Van…" Hitomi started as they settled into the comfortingly warm and slightly bubbly waters in the large pool.

Merle interrupted her. "He just doesn't want to see you get hurt. We had no idea you were going to show up ever again. He never stopped thinking about you, Hitomi. He keeps the pendant close by at all times and thinks nobody notices. I don't think he had any idea that he wouldn't be able to see you again after he cut this connection you both had."

So he had told her. Hitomi hugged herself tightly under the water. "But… why would he want to anyway? He pushed me away. He…" 

"Because he still loves you, even after all these years," Merle said as she placed a hand on Hitomi's shoulder. 

"So what then? Am I supposed to believe that he was waiting for me?" Hitomi asked slightly irritated.

Merle withdrew her hand. "Not exactly. Hitomi… I don't know that there is a good way to say this. There have been some other women throughout the years… but he grew weary of them all fast."

Hitmi bit her lip. She couldn't blame him. After all, she had dated and been in two relationships. For some reason though, hearing this out of Merle's mouth wounded her.

"What about… you and Van?" She finally asked, almost instantly regretting the question. "Why did Darriah call you 'highness'?"

Merle's laugh echoed in the big, empty cave. "I know what you are thinking and you are wrong. I am still Van's sister and he is my beloved brother, but Fanelia needed an heir."

Hitomi looked beyond confused. If she hadn't been submerged in the water already, she would have probably started to sweat profusely. 

" **I** am Fanelia's heir." Merle finally explained matter of factly.

Hitomi's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Look, Van is not a fool. When we reconstructed Fanelia, he also changed the structure of our government. Fanelia operates under a system of tanistry where titles are passed on by appointment. Van elected me as his heir and the wyverns and vassals confirmed it by vote. There was no need for him to marry and produce an heir. Nekos can live up to two hundred years. As long as I live, Fanelia will have an heir, unless…" She winked lightly at Hitomi. "Unless a better choice presents itself. I would renounce my right to the throne in the event of Van producing a blood heir."

Hitomi blushed deeply under Merle's calculating stare.

Why did she, regardless of Merle's suggestive look, suddenly feel like a big weight had fallen off her chest? She released her arms and tried to regain control of her erratic heartbeat.

"I should also explain something else. I am one of the four samurai generals of Fanelia and hold command of the earth army. It's the smallest entity, but we are the scouts and spies, responsible for recon missions. As such, I am also one of the wyverns." She explained. "Right now, I am something like Van's second in command. I hold some decision power, as you may have seen. He has been grooming me to rule."

It came as no surprise that Merle was part of Van's closest circle. This part of Merle's explanation put her at ease. Knowing that Van was in good hands when it came to receiving council made her feel better.

"So who are these other two generals? I only saw three."

"Well, you already met Darriah. The fire army is our offensive force. The guy with the eyepatch is Kur. He commands our levi ships, which make up the wind army. There is more to him, but it's probably better if he told you himself, or Van explains it."

"We will see if he changes his mind about talking to me and letting me help soon…" Hitomi sighed.

Merle startled Hitomi by pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh, Hitomi. You know how stubborn he can be. It's been a very long time since he has let anybody but me get truly close to him."

Hitomi blushed deeply as Merle released her. Apparently, she was not in the least concerned about their mutual state of nudity. 

Merle chuckled softly and with a sly grin on her face said. "By the way, you feel nice and strong." She exited the pool and flicked some water off her tail with a practiced swing.

"Other ladies here, with the exception of the few female soldiers, usually aren't built like that. But then again, Van already had a thing for your legs back when you were still younger." She tapped her lips with a finger thoughtfully.

"Merle!" To escape further embarrassment, Hitomi submerged herself completely. It appeared that Merle had a different sense of decency regarding nudity around others, especially when it came to commenting on their physique. 

"I almost forgot," Merle spoke up as Hitomi finally followed her out of the water and handed her a towel from a big chest nearby. 

"The fourth samurai general, the one commanding the water forces is Gajeel. He is ancient, although I have no idea how old. It's hard to tell with beast people since we age differently. He is half merman and his original home is Repun, where he is currently attending to some business. It's a city in the shallow sea directly south of Palas. He doubles as an ambassador to the merpeople. They live very secludedly from the rest of Gaea and we are lucky to have one of their cities on our side. " 

The two women dressed again. Merle donned a similar outfit as the previous night, except now Hitomi noticed why the belt looked so curious and heavy. It held about a dozen small knives. A fairly fitting choice of weapon for someone with her speed and grace. 

Hitomi slipped into a set of comfortable under clothing. A sort of camisole and some very short shorts made from a thin, silky fabric. The comfortable yukata dress with loose fitting cap sleeves was tied with the red obi to form a bow under her breasts. A pair of flat, comfortable shoes were provided also. She felt slightly nostalgic. It had been a long time since she had worn anything so closely resembling a kimono. Not quite Japanese, but maybe Atlantean? 

_When I saw Varie back in the mystic valley, she wore clothing similar to this. Fanelian fashion must have somehow been influenced by Atlantean clothing. Van's mother looked so beautiful in it. No wonder his father was so enchanted by her._

They made their way back out of the bath grotto. Merle's voice echoed in the hallway as she continued to talk.

"As you probably guessed, Fanelia, Asturia, and Freid have been allies since the war. Repun joined later while we realized tensions were rising between Zaibach and Basram. Basram took control of Egzardia fast through a quick political marriage." Her ears sagged sadly when she said this.

"Egzardia has a lot of energist mines, so Basram is guaranteed a steady supply. They test their weapons near the border of Freid. It worries Chid."

"What about Caesario and Daedalus?" Hitomi remembered some of the other countries in this part of Gaea.

"Caesario is controlled by Zaibach. They have been able to lure some of their sorcerers to join the Zaibach cause." Her tail puffed in agitation.

"As for Daedalus. Their poor excuse of a ruler is called Ninurta. She is young and protected by her standing army of soldiers, controlled by a sitting army of office holders, influenced by her kneeling army of priests, and deluded by a fawning army of sneaks. She is a spineless and submissive creature who declared Daedalus neutral to any conflict between other countries on Gaea. Her council offered her up for a marriage shortly after the war. Van respectfully but vigorously refused." 

They arrived at a large kitchen, where an excited head cook by the name of Lerna was overjoyed to meet Hitomi. She too enveloped her in a hug that made Hitomi feel right at home. The kitchen was warmed by multiple fires and a big, worn table in the middle gave the whole room a very homely vibe. 

Lerna explained with no small measure of pride that the king preferred to take his meals in her kitchen if his schedule allowed him to do so. Only big, official meals with guests were taken in a formal setting. Hitomi figured Van liked the idea of sharing a quiet meal with Merle and some of his closest associates in an intimate setting, considering he had been deprived of such a simple privilege for quite a long time. She briefly thought about the last meal she had shared with her family, something simple she never truly had given much thought before. 

The old, amiable woman with the grey hair spoke fondly of Van's volatile temper just as if she seemed to feel personally responsible for him. This endeared her to Hitomi even more. Her husband Mek, who held the position of Chamberlain in the palace, was responsible for handling the relations between palace officials and staff. However, the social climate in the palace was known to be one of the loosest and least influenced by rank and authority in all of Gaea, which made the job fairly easy. 

A nice breakfast of tea and fresh bread with piscus preserves was laid out for them. Piscus preserves. The king's favorite. Hitomi sweatdropped.

"Remember when I told you about new recruits and one-on-one fights?" Merle asked.

Hitomi nodded over the cup of tea she was holding.

"It looks like you will get to watch a few today." Merle finished her tea and food fast. "I have to help with some preparations this morning, but I will come get you later. Take as much time as you need here. Lerna can tell you how to get back to your room later." With a smile and a wink, she was out the door.

Hitomi chewed on a piece of bread thoughtfully as she wondered if a meeting with Van would be less frosty today. She snorted at the irony of the words as she remembered the snow that surely had piled up outside over the course of the night.

Tbc…

A/N: Whaat? Van can't just order people around? Hell no he can't. Well, he **could** , but he doesn't.

Moiragetes is a borrowed concept from Greek mythology where Zeus' full name is Zeus Moiragetes, indicating that he was the only god not affected by the fates (Klotho the spinner, Lachesis the appointer, and Atropos the inevitable). He was said to be able to control them, even. 

I decided to create a new defense structure for Fanelia. They had armies in place before, but we all know that didn't work out so swell.

More original characters! I dearly hope you will like them. Darriah is modeled after the image of a badass amazon. We need more strong women in film and books. Just saying.

After WWII, some European cities were basically re-built from their rubble. I thought, perhaps Fanelia wouldn't have all the materials for reconstruction conveniently available.

Glass bottle windows. Ever seen them? If not, I encourage you to picture google that.

Finally, the pillars of the Bach system. I always found it amusing and decided that Daedalus was structured this way.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm trying to continue here with focusing on strong women for a while. Reading DC's _Bombshells_ opened my eyes as to how damn used we are to see men dominate film and fiction when it comes to a fighting role. _Bombshells_ breaks this scheme and 95% of the main characters are female. It's so unusual to see this that it makes me feel a bit weird. Then I realized that men are so used to seeing themselves featured all the time that they probably don't give it any further thought, however when I see a lot of women featured it gives me an unusual feeling. How messed up is that?

~~Fanelia~~

When Hitomi stepped outside the palace, she immediately pulled the large hood over her head. Upon returning to her room, she had found a coat in the small antechamber. It was dark green and fairly simple in design with a single row of ivory buttons on the left side and a wide and comfortable hood which was lined with dark fur, along with the inside of the garment. A pair of light, brown gloves were also provided. The material felt soft on her hands and fingers. 

Merle stepped up beside her, wrapping the brown cloak she was wearing around herself tightly. "We are going to the arena by the barracks. The arena itself is outside, so I hope you don't mind being in the cold for a while." She said with a little shiver. "Some of the early fights are already over, but we will see the end of the whole process."

Hitomi hummed her agreement, and the two women started promenading down the snow-covered streets. It was a lot quieter than Hitomi had expected it to be. Perhaps, people preferred to remain inside during this season as much as they could, or maybe many were gathered to watch the spectacle they were heading to witness themselves. She decided that she would see in due time. 

The barracks were not far from the palace, situated towards the back end of the city near the tall mountains. Hitomi could already tell that her theory about many citizens watching this event would hold true. There were some large crowds gathered around the fairly open structure. No doubt, wagers were being placed on the outcome of these fights again.

The arena was fronted by a tall wall with several arched gates. Pillars helped to support the structure underneath were Hitomi could make out something similar to rows of bleachers towards the rectangular shaped inside. Merle lead them through the main gate as people moved aside to let them pass, some bowing to her respectfully. They moved around the side towards a more secluded area where a dais with several large chairs was covered by a small roof.

"You can sit over there." Merle pointed at the empty chairs. "It's for the king and the wyverns but we never really sit there. I have to go to the armory for a bit."

Hitomi scanned the area and indeed found Darriah and Kur closer to the actual scene of events. While Kur seemed very reserved with his arms crossed behind his back, Darriah was waving a fist in the air as she loudly cheered on the fighters along with most of the crowd. She wore no cloak or coat. Wasn't she cold at all? Finishing her quick sweep of the arena, she turned to Merle who was about to disappear down the stairs.

"Shouldn't Van be here?" Hitomi asked Merle a bit unsure.

Merle smirked and moved her head back to look at the top of the tall wall they had crossed under to get to the inside. Hitomi followed her gaze and tilted her head to the side.

"Oh." _That figures._

Van was here alright, but instead of being down on the ground with everyone else, he was perched on the narrow top edge of the wall, seated on the flat shingles that covered the length of it. One knee was pulled up to his chest with a gloved hand resting on it, while the other leg lazily dangled off the edge. He clearly was watching the two competitors intently. His dark, messy hair moved back and forth over his eyes with the breeze. The stiff collar of his black jacket was pulled up high, but he seemed to be quite comfortable up there in the wind.

Hitomi finally settled into one of the large chairs and began to watch the mock duels through the faintly visible puffs of air her breath kept turning into. Some of the fights ended rather quickly, while others were drawn out longer. The ones not fought with swords, where each of the two would-be soldiers chose different weapons, usually were decided quickly. The crowd cheered loudly and was visibly amused, regardless of the fact that fights were ended before any real damage could be done to anyone.

The two final contenders couldn't have been more different. A tall, muscular man with legs so impressive they might have been tree trunks, and a rather pale looking, petite girl with shoulder length, curly blonde hair. The girl's weapon was a short sword, while the man was leaning on a fairly large hammer.

Hitomi glanced towards Van. What was his reaction to such an unbalanced face off? It didn't seem to bother him. He was on his feet, lazily pacing back and forth as the unequal challengers began their bout. In fact, nobody seemed to mind the fact that a huge man was fighting a small woman. Cheers and applause greeted the daring recruits.

 _Interesting. This must be normal to them…_

At first, it seemed like an unfair fight, as the man clearly had the upper hand when it came to strength. He rammed the young woman with the side of his body twice before she seemed to pick up on his style of combat. Soon, she used her speed and agility to her advantage to evade the heavy attacks. The fight ended minutes after she had, with impish speed and grace, jumped on the man's back and wrapped her slender legs around his neck and placed the sharp side of her short sword close to his jugular. 

The spectators roared as Darriah declared her the winner and nodded her head towards Van's elevated position. All eyes were on him as he deftly climbed down the wall and landed on the ground after a rather high jump more than halfway down. He moved towards the center and, in passing, shot Hitomi a barely noticeable glance out of the corner of his eyes.

After he shook the young woman's hand, Darriah announced that the winner would be facing Van after sundown. Her name was Okyale, so Merle told her later, and she was twenty years old. She certainly looked a lot younger than that.

As Merle joined her again after the crowd started to disband, she explained to Hitomi that the final challenger was allowed to determine the approximate time of the fight so she could get some rest. Van had disappeared along with Darriah and Kur, which left Hitomi alone with Merle again.

"Let's go to a tavern. You look like you could use some warm mead and food." Merle offered.

"Sounds good." Hitomi agreed, not really knowing what other choices she had.

As they walked along the streets of the city, Hitomi began to think about the purpose of her being here again. How could she possibly help? Seeing into the future of one single person and briefly influencing their actions to steer them towards a better outcome was an entirely different thing from changing the outcome of a potential whole war.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint, high pitched scream and a thud. A little girl had landed right at her feet.

Hitomi scrambled to help her up. "Oh, dear are you alright?" She looked the girl up and down. Her face and clothes were wet and dirty, but the smile she wore was huge. 

"Yes, thank you!" The girl laughed and picked up a small, wooden sword that had fallen out of her hand. "My sister and I are playing samurai."

Merle stopped next to them and the girl grinned even wider as she recognized her. "Lady Merle!" The little girl bowed quickly. "It is an honor to see you today. Anari! Come over here!" She turned and motioned to another girl, similar in age and looks.

The girl named Anari seemed to be the older of the two. She also bowed to Merle and grinned. "Sorry about my little sister, lady Merle."

"It's not trouble at all. She said you two were playing." Merle smiled.

"Yes! We want to be samurai when we grow up. We want to be strong like the Valkyries in Detreus beyond Asgard. Our mama told us stories about them!" Both girls straightened up proudly and Merle beamed at them.

"Keep at it then! If you join the earth army, you may even be able to travel to Detreus one day. We do want to send some expeditions across the salt seas in the future."

The girls' eyes went wide at her words. They looked at each other and nodded enthusiastically.

"But first, run home to your mama and have her help you change into some dry clothes or you will get sick and not be able to train." Merle lifted her finger in mock lecture.

"Yes, lady Merle!" They chorused and turned to run home. The older one sprinted off, but the younger one turned around again and after a second of thought hugged Merle around the waist. 

_Merle was always so good with the kids. She sure would make a great mother._ Hitomi thought fondly as the girl ran to catch up with her sister.

"There sure are a lot of women here who aren't afraid to fight." Hitomi half stated and half asked.

"Aren't there on the Mystic Moon?" Merle asked puzzled.

"Well. Yes but… not really. I mean… there isn't really a need for anybody to fight in the country I live in." Hitomi struggled to find the right words.

"Hmm… that sounds very peaceful." Merle said. "After what happened last time we were attacked, the people of Fanelia swore to not be this defenseless ever again. Most of them fled into the mountain keep or took refuge in smaller villages. Initially, one of the chambermaids from the castle tried to drag me with her when the Zaibach melefs attacked. It took me a bit to find a moment where I could run away and find you and Van. I didn't want to flee, but I also didn't know how to fight, like most women then." She stared at the ground seemingly ashamed. 

"Now many women know how to fight, and their daughters learn from them or their fathers. Everybody here knows how to fend for themselves." This brought a more relaxed expression back onto Merle's face.

Shortly after they continued on their way, they arrived at a tavern where Merle found them a small table amidst the buzz of the patrons which were already busy with their meals and ale. While Hitomi placed their outerwear on one of the hooks near the large fireplace, Merle went to get them some food and drink.

She set two glasses of warm mead on the table and went again to return with a hearty smelling stew for both of them. Hitomi savored the taste of the warm mead and as they moved to leave, her face was a bit flushed from the alcohol. Not really being a drinker, she felt the effect from just that one serving.

Merle lead her through the streets and alleys of the city for a while after to pass the time, and the alcohol wore off rather quickly. They neared the city walls and climbed one of the towers so they could walk along the defense structure to observe the city from above.

"Is that a levi port?" Hitomi pointed to a fairly open area to the right side of the castle which she hadn't noticed from below. A small levi ship was tied to the ground there.

Merle followed Hitomi's direction and explained. "Yes, it's a small levi ship field. There is a bigger port outside the mountains where the larger ships in our fleet can dock. This one is mainly for the smaller ones we use when going on diplomatic trips or for foreign dignitaries to arrive at." 

Hitomi raised her chin to indicate that she understood.

"The only ship on that field right now is the Varie. Van's ship." Merle looked at Hitomi with a lopsided grin." The name was my idea. Anyway, we should go back to the arena now. It's time soon."

Hitomi nodded once again and Merle lead them back down the wall and through the streets to the arena where the crowds were now even larger than before.

It was a bit more difficult to pass through the throng of people this time, but Hitomi was back in her seat soon, with Merle beside her this time. Darriah and Kur were once again close to the sideline.

All eyes were on Van who was lazily pacing back and forth, swinging his sword through the air and spinning it in his hand in slow, practiced moves. Okyale emerged from one of the doorways on the side and proceeded right to the center. She was dressed in simple, grey breeches and a matching, long sleeved shirt, as well as a silver chest plate. The short sword she had used earlier was belted to her hips. Van and her talked briefly and since the event was not officially intended to be a public entertainment, they simply bowed to each other and took their respective fighting stances without any announcements.

Both fighters circled each other for a minute until Okyale charged. Van easily sidestepped her attack. She regained her balance and immediately swung her weapon at him again, which he parried by raising the royal sword. It was then that Hitomi noticed he no longer had to use both hands to wield it.

 _Of course. He's much taller and stronger now. It figures that he would adjust his style of sword fighting._

This time, Van attacked. He slashed at the woman's feet, but she jumped to avoid him and took a step back. Digging her back foot into the ground which was by now turned to mud from melted snow, dirt, and use earlier that day, she pushed herself forward and attempted a stab Van once again parried.

People yelled excitedly as the fighters went back and forth attacking and dodging blows for a while, the fight seemingly even. Hitomi wondered if Van was holding back. His size and skills definitely gave him an advantage and she knew how fast he could be. As if confirming her thoughts, he finally executed a combination of steps to maneuver himself close to the young woman and with a forceful push of his sword against hers, caused her to stumble and fall flat on her back. Okyale looked like the wind had been knocked out of her properly by the fall. She seemed like her flailing diaphragm was struggling to keep up with her attempts to breathe.

The spectators gasped.

Van offered her a hand and with a swift motion, pulled her to her feet. She gave him a lopsided smile of defeat. When he moved to walk off, the people closest to the side heard her protest. "Wait. Lord Van!"

He turned to look at her as she removed her sword belt and tossed it aside. Her small hands worked on the buckles of the armor on her upper body. She freed herself from it and tossed it on a pile with the sword. Her long-sleeved shirt followed. 

Several people in the crowd started yelling and cheering again at the sight. They knew something Hitomi didn't.

Okyale was left standing in her tight breeches and something that distantly resembled a sports bra. Her lithe figure and pale skin made her look almost dainty, but she had just proven to not be that. Raising her fists, she beckoned Van into hand to hand combat.

"Well, **this** should be interesting." Merle moved to the edge of her seat and leaned her lower arms on the wooden rail to be able to better observe the scene. "Usually, this is the end of it, but it looks like this is an ambitious one!"

Hitomi crossed her arms in front of her chest as she watched Van grin in amusement. He replied with something that looked like 'very well' from the look of his lips. He removed his sword belt and Kur came to take the weapon from him. Van also handed him his black jacket and, to the joy of many women in the crowd, the shirt he wore underneath.

From afar, Hitomi could tell that he had matured impressively. His broad shoulders and chest were supple with muscle while still looking athletic and vascular. Beautiful abdominals sculpted his lower body, while the tan skin on his back covered the valleys and peaks of his physical strength.

Merle poked Hitomi into her ribs lightly and she blushed immediately at having been caught staring. Hitomi was grateful she refrained from making a comment, but she saw that the neko giggled quietly. Van briefly turned his head towards the dais but immediately looked away again as he assumed his own starting position. Hitomi had no time to properly react and pretend like she wasn't captivated.

 _Ugh no… why does he affect me like that? Get a grip Hitomi! You're a grown woman. You've seen male athletes like this many, many times.  
_

_Yeah, but they usually don't look like_ ** _this._** A second little voice inside her head replied.

Okyale attacked first again. She threw a punch at Van's head. He caught her fist in his hand and twisted it to the side. She stepped with him and ducked underneath his arm to free herself. He administered a blow to the side of her ribs and she coughed and crouched down to roll away.

Getting to her feet again, she regained her breath and both fighters started pacing in a lazy circle. She charged again and delivered a series of attacks to his chest. Some of them hit home, while others were blocked by his lower arms. Then Van ducked and swept his outstretched leg towards her feet, much like he had attempted with his sword earlier, but she caught on to his intentions and jumped to avoid him.

When he rose again, she saw a brief opening in his defense and with a quick, wide swing of her leg, she quickly delivered a kick to his face with the heel of her boot. A muffled thump was heard in the arena and the crowd gasped collectively.

Okyale took a step back to assess the damage. As Van brought his head around, he spat some blood to the side. His lower lip was split open and gushing blood. He smiled in a strange, satisfied way. The young woman took a few steps back, seemingly perturbed by the expression on his face. He charged faster than she could react.

He could have stopped the fight anytime. It became clear that he had merely tested her when he appeared beside her faster than anybody could blink. With a practiced blow to her neck about an inch below the ear, he rendered her unconscious.

Hitomi wondered if Van knew that the Vargas nerve, one of the most vulnerable pressure points of the human body, was located there. Since it connected the brain and heart, pressing on it with force could knock a person out from seconds to minutes. Okyale would be feeling that headache and nausea for the rest of the day. 

The young woman started coming to after only a few moments. Van again offered to help her stand but she ignored his hand this time, getting to her feet slowly. She bowed again and finally accepted Van's hand, grasping his underarm tightly as he took hers.

"You did extraordinarily well. You are free to choose your allegiance." He told her loud enough for the first few rows of people to hear. He left the middle of the arena and retrieved his clothing and sword from Kur, then disappeared through one of the doorways into the inside of the barracks.

On the way there, he turned his head again and Hitomi's eyes met his. He stopped for a moment and spun towards her. She gripped the wooden railing tightly as she looked straight at him. He seemed to ponder something. The moment was over again fast as he seemed to have decided against coming to her. Wiping his bloody lip with the back of his hand, he left. Hitomi's heart lurched weirdly. 

Okyale strode towards Kur and Darriah. She stopped in front of the dark-skinned woman and bowed. "General. If you would have me, it would be my honor to serve the fire army." 

Darriah smiled widely as she took both of the young woman's shoulders. "It shall be an honor to have you as a part of my forces."

Merle jumped up and moved to step off the dais. "I'm going in there to make sure he at least takes care of that busted lip. Come."

Hitomi hesitated for a moment and shook her head slowly. "I…. I think… no. It's alright. Merle, I can find my own way back to the palace. Do you mind?" 

"Suit yourself." Merle shrugged. "But don't let him get away with this for too much longer, alright?

"Sure," Hitomi answered a bit unsure. 

With a graceful swish of her tail, Merle was gone.

"Van?" Merle carefully entered a small room on the side of the arena.

"What is it?" He asked as he dried his upper body with a small towel before he slipped his shirt back over his head. The low light cast shadows across his shape and made his ebony hair look even darker. 

"Here." She simply said as she pulled a clean handkerchief from one of her pockets and stepped closer to him. She turned his chin with one hand and dabbed at his bottom lip with the other. The deep red blood stain bloomed on the light fabric slowly as she cleaned the wound.

"Won't you talk to Hitomi soon? She has no idea what she is supposed to do. We all need to work together to figure out how she can help." Merle scowled.

Van pushed her hands aside and glared at her. "No. I stand by what I said. She can't stay. He took the handkerchief from her and finished wiping at his lip. When he felt like the bleeding had stopped, he gently reached around the back of her head and pulled it close. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and quickly brushed past her. "Thank you, sister."

She opened her mouth to respond, but he was already gone.

The cloaked figure followed Hitomi carefully as she walked through the streets towards the palace. She seemed to have chosen to go around the building in order to reach the gardens. The large pond in the center was frozen and covered with a thin layer of fresh snow.

She stood for a while and stared at the white expanse. In the fringe of the forest at the back of the lake, a mass of bushes rustled quietly. Hitomi moved her head in that direction to look. A beautiful creature emerged from the shrubs. It almost looked like a deer, but the fur was longer, and it was completely white. The creature moved to the edge of the lake in graceful steps, carrying its silver antlers high. It tilted its head as if looking at Hitomi, too.

She was mesmerized by its beauty. _I wonder if my powers work on animals too._

Hitomi squared her shoulders and continued to look at the creature. She focused her thoughts intently and concentrated on the animal's eyes. The edges of her vision blurred as she put more effort into her attempt. Slowly, the periphery of her sight turned black as the familiar tingle spread from her eyes across her skull.

She reached for the creature and gently enveloped it with her thoughts. The feeling was entirely different than that she had had when prying into human auras. This one was much more serene. The creature was completely at peace. She tried, but couldn't quite see more. All she could see was the here and now.

Hitomi tilted her head to the side in an attempt to stretch her neck which was protesting from her tense effort. The creature mirrored her action.

 _Woah!_

Drawing in a long breath, she moved her right hand out from the side of her body. The creature moved its front leg out in a short step forward. Hitomi grew more curious. She carefully took a few steps around the side of the lake shore. The animal did the same.

She looked at the creature and it looked back at her. She continued to move, slowly, careful not to break the connection. They met halfway. Hitomi stretched a hand up to the creature's head and bowed her own slightly. Moving its head down, she was able to run her gloved fingers through the long, coarse fur of its forehead down to its muzzle. The animal did not move its front leg as she lifted her arm, as if the need to remain still was clear through her thoughts. 

A bird screeched loudly and the connection snapped easily. She gasped as the animal darted off. As she watched its retreat, a dull headache formed behind her eyes.

 _Of course._

She held her head with both hands and crouched down to give herself a moment of rest. Breathing deeply, she felt the pain was subsiding slowly. 

A hand on her shoulder startled her terribly and she almost fell over, but two quick arms caught her and pulled her to her feet easily.

"Please forgive me. I did not mean to startle you, my lady." Kur quickly apologized.

Hitomi smoothed the fabric of her coat and looked at him in surprise. "It's… quite alright. What are you doing here?"

He looked a bit nervous, his eye clearly having a hard time meeting hers. "I was merely making sure you would find your way back to the palace safely, my lady."

"You don't have to call me that. My name is Hitomi." She corrected him, still unsure about his intentions.

He cleared his throat, apparently a bit uneasy at her request. "Well then, la…uh… Hitomi." He said, testing out the informal way of addressing her name in his mouth. "How did you make the Whitetail approach you?" 

"The what? Oh… well I… guess I …made it." She shrugged. "Why is it called a Whitetail? It's white all over." 

Kur nodded. "Correct. However, normally their fur is a deep auburn with a Whitetail. This one was a rare albino. Legend has it, the white ones have no soul." 

Hitomi furrowed her brow and took a step back. "Cursed? I don't believe in curses. It was beautiful. Its mind was more at ease than anything I have touched so far."

Kur raised his hands in apology. "Forgive me for upsetting you. All I know about it is from the stories that my mother told me."

Hitomi turned to face the lakeshore and pulled the warm hood over her head again. "Will you tell me about yourself?"

The handsome man beside her stiffened and rigidly crossed his arms in front of his chest. His deep blue cloak was lazily waving behind him. The light armor and eyepatch made him look unapproachable on the outside. On the inside, he seemed very troubled. Hitomi could tell he was processing her request carefully.

"I am a former prince of Basram, exiled shortly after the war. My father would not listen to the pleas of the allies to stop building and experimenting with energist weapons. I tried to convince him with all I had. He grew so angry at my refusal to see his reasons he took my eye for not seeing his side." He raised one hand slowly to rest on the eyepatch.

"After that, he cast me out. He denounced me." Lowering his hand again, he turned to Hitomi.

She let out a long puff of condensed air and turned her head towards him. "You came here because you wanted to?"

"Yes. I only knew lord Van from stories of the war and of tales from travelers and merchants. One in particular, you should know him. His name is Dryden Fassa."

"I know him," Hitomi confirmed. 

Kur looked at her too now. "He granted me passage to Fanelia on his ship and established contact for me. Without him, I would have probably never made it here. I swore fealty to a young king of Fanelia, knowing that my services would aid the growth of a strong country and by extent, a more peaceful Gaea."

"You lost everything." She whispered.

"But I gained so much." He stared into her emerald eyes intently.

Hitomi's vision swam. Kur's head became a brown blob. The feeling of ants crawling across her skull returned full force and she wasn't ready for it. She reached out to steady herself and found Kur's arm. When she touched him, an invisible force hit her in the head like a sledgehammer.

Darkness surrounded her once again. It took a moment to see anything at all until she saw Kur running. Running up a seemingly endless flight of winding stairs. When he arrived at the top, he threw his shoulder against the heavy, wooden door to open it forcefully. Surprised at having found little resistance, he entered. 

The next thing she saw was blood. Too much blood. He was holding a baby in his arms. Crying heart-wrenchingly, he held it tightly to his chest. 

She wheezed as she came to. Kur was holding her by the shoulders tightly, steadying her as she regained her senses. Her mouth was dry and the stabbing pain behind her eyes made her flinch in pain. She was glad for the setting sun. No doubt, the bright light would have been an additional cause of discomfort in her current state. 

"Lady Hitomi! Are you alright?" He demanded, his voice full of worry.

She nodded slowly with her eyes still closed. "Yes… I will be fine. I just had ahhh… going to have a migraine. Best if I go and lay down."

She saw the worry in his eyes and was not sure how to tell him what she had seen. It didn't even make sense. Neither he nor Merle had mentioned a woman being in his life. She turned from him and walked away fast as she moved her hand up to wipe the small trickle of blood that was beginning to warm her upper lip. 

_I should wait until I figure out what this means and whose baby this could be._

A worried samurai general watched her make her way back towards the nearest entrance. His own walk towards his chambers was spent in deep thought. When he arrived, a small, sealed message canister was on his desk. He broke the seal without hesitation and pulled out the small scroll. The narrow piece of paper contained only one sentence in neat, small cursive.

'I am with child. – Inanna'

He sank to his knees and began to fiercely rub the sides of his face and skull in distraught, ripping the eyepatch off his head in the process.

Down in the bath grottos, the king of Fanelia sank into the hot water and leaned his head back against the edge of the pool. The hard stone dug painfully into the back of his head, but he took comfort in the sensation. Hot water soothed his muscles as he sat there motionless.

Of course, Hitomi was still here. What the hell had he thought was going to happen? That she would simply disappear overnight? Regardless, he would not accept her help. He did not want to use her at the end of the last war and he did not want to use her now. He absentmindedly massaged the wrist of his sword hand. The fight earlier had rendered him a bit tired and he made a mental note to intensify his sparring routine. 

He continued to think about Hitomi as he finished his bath and retired to his chambers. How wonderful would it be if he could just have welcomed her home with open arms? Welcomed her into a peaceful Gaea, a merry Fanelia free of worries. Welcomed her and made her his queen…

Shaking his head, he punched the side of his head with a fist.

No. He would not allow himself to imagine such an impossibly silly reality. More than a decade had passed and she had her own life and relations waiting for her on the Mystic Moon.

But she had looked so beautiful when he had laid eyes on her the previous night. Her hair was cropped shorter than he remembered and it showed off her fine, feminine facial features. Her big, emerald eyes had stared a hole through his skull. The clothes she wore were as outlandish as her green uniform years ago, but her body still looked familiar in certain ways. Although more mature, she seemed very athletic. Especially her legs.

Van swallowed at the thought. The dress had been short enough for him to see that her thighs were more powerful now. He imagined what it could be like to run his hand along the length of one, or possibly have them wrapped around his waist.

"No. No… **no**!" Van pounded his head with his fist again.

The thoughts wouldn't stop. He had looked at her in the arena, caught her staring at him as he shed his jacket and shirt. He had felt her eyes on him and suddenly wished they could be alone.

" **Hell** no!"

It happened again when he left the arena. He had briefly considered going closer to where she sat on the dais. She looked regal on the elevated structure, clad in a simple coat which did nothing to stop his imagination from fabricating a scene where she was clothed in much, much less. What would he have said to her anyway? 

_Ugh…._ He fell onto his large bed and pulled the sheets around himself tightly.

Tbc…

A/N: Whaat? Side plot with Kur? Only a small one.

Not much to say to this chapter. I hope the glimpse into Van's thoughts was an interesting enough teaser to what's going on in his mind.

I look forward to writing the next chapter. Finally some action! I mean like actual danger.

Okyale- was an Amazon archer who fought in the Attic war. She engaged the Spartan Admiral Astyochos in single combat.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Welp, Happy Thanksgiving!

~~Furth~~

Merle picked one of the small knives from her belt and expertly spun it on the palm of her open hand. She watched it rotate for a while. As it slowed, she took it in saber grip. Then, with a quick movement of her hand, she spun it into reverse, edge facing out and firmly lodged it into the wooden chair between the bandit's legs.

"Gotchya." She chuckled, her hair sliding free from behind her ears and casting a shadow across her beautiful face.

The bandit flinched, legs wide apart and struggled uselessly against the ropes he was bound with.

"Bitch!" He growled angrily, but the tremble in his voice betrayed his true feelings.

Merle slapped the back of her hand across his face, the rough material of her fingerless gloves giving the action an extra oomph. She lazily flexed her sharp claws in front of the man's face.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked innocently as she brought one of her claws close to the man's pulsing carotid artery. His Adam's apple was bobbing up and down nervously. He didn't respond.

"I thought so." She retracted her claws and stepped to the side to address one of her soldiers, a slender young man dressed in the earth army's dark green and brown colors.

"Send two scouts out east. I believe we will find the rest of his associates that way." The young man gave a quick salute, tapping his right fist to the middle of his chest once and disappeared from the dimly lit chamber.

Merle smiled and waved to the bandit. Her knife remained planted firmly in the chair, giving the man little room to move around. "Somebody should be in to escort you in a while. You will find the dungeons of Fanelia provide all the un-amenities a lowlife such as yourself could desire. Your companions should be joining you rather soon, I do believe."

Her tail swung enthusiastically as she moved her swaying hips through the door to the outside. The sun was just starting to rise.

An armored soldier outside the small cottage stood at attention as he saw her.

"Well done. You and your men captured one of the bandits who have been terrorizing merchants between here and the capital. Who knew the loyalty amongst thieves is so weak they won't hesitate to leave one of their own behind." She shrugged. "Good thing the others retreated in such haste. It will be easy to track them by their escape route through the forests."

Merle had been woken in the middle of the night. A falcon had arrived from Furth to alert her that one of the patrols had surprised a bandit pack in flagranti. They were just about to harm the poor merchant and his daughter when the soldiers surprised them. A good step towards cleansing Fanelia of some vile scum.

She had barely managed to scribble a note for Mek, the Chamberlain, before dashing out of the castle. She and her soldiers would make quick work of a medium sized bandit camp in the dense woods, preferably by the end of the day. She shivered and wrinkled her nose as some snowflakes lazily floated past her face. 

~~The Capital of Fanelia~~

After Hitomi woke, she was surprised to not find Merle somewhere close by.

 _Well, she_ ** _is_** _kind of important here. I'm probably lucky she had this much time to spare for me so far._

She dressed in a similar kimono dress as the previous day. This one being a soft shade of green. She had taken a liking to the comfortable garments which were similar, but still different from traditional Japanese clothing.

Hitomi's soft shoes made no sound on the carpets as she wandered through the palace. Her nose successfully lead her to the large kitchen.

Lerna welcomed her warmly and prepared a small breakfast of tea and freshly baked bread for Hitomi, as she had requested. After a few minutes, a man with grey hair and a full beard appeared in the doorway. His clothes were more formal. A dark pair of pants was tucked into tall boots and a red jacket with gold trimmings along the collar and cuffs gave him an air of authority. His face, however, looked kind and approachable. The man nodded a greeting to Lerna and stood next to Hitomi.

He gave a short bow and spoke to her. "Lady Hitomi. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you thus far. I am Mek, the Chamberlain." 

_Ah, Lerna's husband._ "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mek." Hitomi greeted him.

He smiled and continued. "The lady Merle left a note asking me to inform you that she was called away on urgent business. I do not know when she will return."

"Oh. Alright." Hitomi said, already unsure of what she was going to do without Merle.

"Her note did not contain anything else. You are welcome to explore the palace and will find few places with restricted entry. If I may suggest, the library in the east wing is an excellent place to spend a cold day in." He offered with another curt bow of his head.

"Thank you, kind sir. I think I'll be alright." Hitomi replied, making sure to be equally polite. _Kind sir? Don't try too hard, Hitomi._

Mek seemed unperturbed by how she had addressed him. If he found it strange, he did not show it.

"Very well. If there is nothing else I can do for you, I have quite a lot to attend to this morning." He bowed once again before taking his leave.

"I don't need anything. Thank you very much." Hitomi now also bowed her head. _I hope that wasn't weird. I need to find out what the protocol is. Everyone is so nice. Everyone except his majesty…_ Hitomi pursed her lips at the thought.

While walking back to her room, Hitomi decided that a run was just what she needed to clear her head. Perhaps some time to think would help her make some sense of the event with the Whitetail and the vision pertaining to Kur from last evening. 

She found her tracksuit, running shoes, and music player in the duffle bag and paused a moment to be grateful that it had been attached to her when she was spirited away again. 

When the cold wind initially graced her face, Hitomi pulled the zipper of her jacket up as far as it would go. The temperatures had dropped considerably during the night and it was not any warmer so early in the morning.

Fresh snow crunched soundly under her feet as she followed the pathway through the garden at a slow pace. When she was sure the walkway would continue down into the woods behind the palace, she picked up the speed and turned up the volume on her music player. 

Her strides were in synch with the beat and she enjoyed the feeling of a familiar movement calming her. The sparse foliage left over from the Fanelian autumn was covered in a blanket of untouched white. Nobody had been back here in some time. At least not since it started snowing.

When she came to a clearing, she had a choice between three paths. Continuing around left, which probably would lead her back to the palace soon, straight ahead, or to the right and deeper into the forest. She decided against the left route since she was planning on a longer excursion and also ruled out the path on the right. It had trouble written all over it.

 _I've seen enough scary movies to know going deep into a forest alone is a bad idea._

She continued on straight. As she passed the path leading to the right, further into the forest and closer towards the steep, vertical wall of the mountains surrounding the city, she felt a faint pull in her mind.

She laughed inwardly. _Nice try…_

Sticking with her initial choice, she continued on straight through the middle. The fairly straight path wound up being flanked by a long stretch of evergreen bushes after a short distance. She stopped to see if it looked familiar. It didn't. The few months she spent on Gaea had very obviously not been long enough to teach her much about the plants on this planet.

Van had a good knowledge of them, as far as she knew. She remembered that time he prepared an ointment for Merle and her. What was it called again? Glar leaf or something like that.

As she stared at the twig on the shrub she was thumbing, the pull in her mind returned. It came somewhere from the forest to her right. She stood for a whole minute to consider her options.

 _Ohh..._ She wrinkled her nose at the dueling feelings of dark foreboding in the pit of her stomach and the strong pull on her mind that excited her curiosity. Very fittingly, her music switched to a slow, ominous piece of classical music. _Fine._

She retraced her steps back to the clearing and followed the path to the right.

 _Let's just establish that I think this is a bad idea._

 _Okay, duly noted._

The call on her mind grew stronger by the passing minute. She sped up to match its intensity. Almost hypnotically, she followed it off the trail and stopped shortly thereafter in a much smaller clearing, surrounded by more evergreen shrubs and trees. Strangely enough, there was no snow around the center of it. The small, circular meadow was about seven feet in diameter and a fresh and supple green. Some wildflowers were happily nestled between the blades of grass.

"Amazing." She breathed as she knelt down to touch it. Hitomi was surprised to find the ground radiating warmth. After carefully pushing some grass aside, she placed her hand on the warm ground. _How is that possible?_ As if picking up on the scene, the shuffle function on her music player presented her with a more upbeat, cheery pop song.

A pulse under her hand startled her and she retracted it. A small mound of dirt formed as the grass and flowers fell aside. It grew taller, about the size of a molehill. She moved back a bit from her kneeling position, but still intently focused on the mound of dirt. It grew bigger still until it reached twice its previous size, then stopped abruptly. 

She leaned a bit closer again and blinked her eyes which had grown as wide as saucers by now. Then suddenly, a handful of dirt on the side abruptly broke away as a tiny, clawed arm appeared. Hitomi shrieked and fell back. She crab-walked backward but stopped when she was a few feet away. 

More dirt crumbled off the mound as a small, green head emerged, covered with what looked like parts of ivory eggshell. Many small, but very sharp teeth were visible as the green, lizard-like creature opened its mouth wide.

She proceeded to watch the hatchling as it continued to free itself from the combined confinement of earth and egg. It slowly crawled out onto the grass; short, stumpy tail and all. The creature opened its long mouth again as if yawning.

Van turned his head towards the forest as he was about to leave the wide balcony attached to his chambers. A flock of ravens took to the sky as the trees underneath shook violently. The pink pendant under his black jacket grew hot against his chest.

 ** _Hitomi!_**

Not a moment was spent hesitating. He turned towards the low railing and vaulted over it, landing on the gravel walkway in the gardens not far below. As he took off towards the forest in a mad dash, he was briefly thankful for the fact that the royal apartments were situated on the lower floors of the palace. 

_Dragon!_ Hitomi thought, eyes wide.

Her nostrils flared as she fought with herself over what to do. Fight or flight? The music in her ears had long since switched to a very intense beat with a strong baseline she usually preferred for the more strenuous parts of her workouts.

But why fight? A dragon barely the size of a large dog at that. There was no threat here. Suddenly annoyed with the music, she pulled on the cords of her earbuds. When the little dragon opened its mouth again, she realized it wasn't yawning at all. It was crying. A very quiet, but shrill shriek she had easily missed over the sound of her music.

 _It's crying but for what?_

Hitomi brought her legs around herself and still stared at the creature, unsure what to do. Dull vibrations under her rear and hands brought her to her senses. Her right index finger grew warm as the energist in her ring glowed brightly. A deafening roar chilled her to the bones.

 _Not crying for what, but for_ ** _who!_** _I am_ ** _so_** _stupid! Why didn't my powers warn me?!_

She mentally kicked herself as she hastily scrambled to her feet. The strange pull was still tugging at her, but she ignored it as best as she could. She spun around and was about to set off the way she came, but the path was blocked as a large tree crashed to the ground right in front of her, causing her to nearly fall. She reacted quickly and dug her heels into the grass to stop and turn as fast as her reflexes would permit.

The full-sized land dragon was terrifying. She could have painted a picture of one even after ten years, that was how distinct their looks still were in her mind. It looked like a large lizard, green and a bit plump. His long, spiked tail swished back and forth between the trees. Golden eyes focused on her as she noticed its sharp teeth and claws. Peaceful creatures as long as approached with a calm mind. All reasonable knowledge was subject to be disregarded, this one was angry beyond belief. 

Hitomi did not care to find out how powerful it was. She already had a good idea after witnessing Van fight one of them during their first meeting. When she tried to run the other way, the dragon breathed its fiery energy past her and covered the trees on the other side with a wall of green flames. Most of them solidified into equally green goo as some embers still smoldered on. She stumbled to a halt and fell to her knees, screaming as one of her underarms touched the goo. The material of her tracksuit was eaten away by the substance immediately and continued to singe her skin painfully. She feverishly wiped her arm on the intact grass around her, which seemed to help surprisingly well.

Clambering to her feet again, she swung her head around wildly to select a new escape route. The dragon was still in its previous position, slowly moving over the large tree that had nearly killed her earlier. She went left this time, figuring it was best to at least try and move in the general direction of the city.

Glad for having been near a horse in the palace courtyard was an understatement for how Darriah felt as she reached the scene in the forest. From far away she had seen flocks of black ravens shy away from a disrupted trail of shaking trees close by the steep mountain wall. She immediately mounted the animal and spurred it on urgently as something in her gut told her that speed was of the essence.

She heard the dragon again before she even saw it. This was most assuredly not going to be a pleasant encounter. Something had angered the creature. She gripped the horse's belly with her legs tightly as she let go of the reins to reach for the bow that was slung across her upper body. She notched an arrow and aimed. The arrow flew past the trees and narrowly missed the dragon's arm as it swung out towards the tree Hitomi was backed up against. 

The young woman ducked and rolled to the side to avoid the attack, her strange looking, dirty clothing attesting to the fact that she had not done it for the first time. Darriah swore loudly as she saw the beast's belly begin to swell. She moved one hand to grip her horse's mane and quickly swung her legs under herself, standing up in a crouched position on top of the animal.

She was now better able to steady her upper body as her legs absorbed the animal's galloping movements. Another arrow was notched and this time she chose to aim slightly higher. The sharp projectile found a home in the softer part of the dragon's neck, towards the front. This did not harm the creature gravely but did enough to distract it from focusing its energy. 

Hitomi exhaled sharply and groaned in relief as she realized help had come in the form of a strong ally. She staggered towards Darriah just as the woman dismounted from her horse, armor strapped to her upper body and arms as always, weapon in hand and ready to fight.

"Lady Hitomi! Behind me!" She yelled and Hitomi didn't have to be told twice. Darriah pushed in front of her and fired another arrow towards the Dragon's head.

"I will try to lure it away! Run!" The woman commanded as she pushed Hitomi towards the general direction of the palace and strode off to the side, continuing to fire arrows at the beast.

Hitomi was about to oblige when suddenly. "Van!" He rushed up to her with unbelievable speed and ran one of his hands across the side of her head, the other down her unharmed arm, his eyes wildly searching for injuries.

"Are you injured?" His voice was hoarse from exhaustion.

 _Did he just run here from the palace?_ She found it rather curious that she had time to notice the very different behavior he exhibited now. "Not badly… Darriah…help her!" She quickly answered him.

He looked past her, his eyes growing wide as if noticing the dragon for the first time. In a low voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck spike, he told her the same as the samurai general had before. "Run." He saw the glowing in the dragon's bulging belly as it intensified by the second.

All Hitomi could do was nod obediently and let him push her behind himself. When she was about to move, the most inconvenient thing happened. Her vision blurred and went dark as her head was enveloped in a furious tingle.

 ** _Not_** _now! Or actually,_ ** _yes_** _now! Please let me be able to fix this!_

The smell of roast destrier filled her nose when she still struggled to find anything in the darkness. She pushed and prodded until she finally found the horse. _The horse? Why the horse!?_ She administered a mental slap to its flanks to startle it. As animal neighed in irritation and trotted some distance away, the awful smell subsided immediately.

Van yelled Darriah's name and she whipped her head towards him. A relieved expression briefly graced her dark face when she spotted the king. The odds were greatly improved now.

"Your sword!" He bellowed and held out one hand as he pulled his own blade from its sheath. Darriah didn't question his command, pulled the sword from her hip and tossed it in his direction. Like a dagger, but much slower, it spun in the air and embedded itself in the frozen ground near Van. He picked it up in passing and charged at the dragon.

The land dragon focused its golden eyes on Van now. It stretched its long neck back as the swelling belly grew bigger and more luminous. Van didn't waste a second. He jumped at the glowing center and slashed both swords along the translucent membrane. The razor sharp blades parted the thick skin reluctantly as he put the entire force of his body behind the movement. When the swing of his arms was expended, he used the last of his body's momentum to duck and roll to the side.

Fountains of green, fiery goo spluttered onto the ground from the partial wounds. Van's face was a grimace of horror as he saw the dragon unleash what was left of its charged power in Hitomi's direction. The horse, which was just by her side a moment ago, was trotting away lazily. A weak splash of green fire missed Hitomi narrowly and covered the tree trunks near her. Why wasn't she screaming or, most importantly, moving away as fast as she could?

In the meantime, Hitomi was still stuck in her vision of sorts. She kept reaching for anything, anybody but came up empty. _What the…?!_ Until she was hit full force by the rage of the land dragon. She was overwhelmed by the sensation and instinctively pushed away. _I can't possibly touch this._ The pink stone on her ring pulsed in a rhythmic fashion. She frantically tried to find something else, until. _There._ Further behind the horrific scene. _The baby dragon._

Darriah seized the opportunity as the dragon slumped down low after expending a great amount of energy on its previous attack. The king had wounded it, but it could still fight. Its long, spiked tail moved back and forth in agitation. She built up as much speed as the short distance between her and the beast allowed and jumped onto its back.

The dragon jerked around in surprise, giving Van a chance to push himself away from the crouched position next to its front leg where he had been able to securely avoid the spill of its fire. He backed away cautiously, calculating his next moves as he watched his fire general scale the green beast's back.

When Darriah reached the nape of its neck, she readied an arrow and aimed it straight down at the dragon's neck joint. A well-aimed arrow in this location could force itself between a dragon's scales and incapacitate it, but not kill it. She pulled her arm back intense concentration and was about to release her shot when the dragon suddenly jerked around again and diverted its attention to the path of destruction in the back. 

Darriah 's focus was interrupted and she misfired by a lot. Her arrow embedded itself in the trunk of a tree off to the side. She was tossed off the dragon's back and landed rather ungracefully on her side. The fall knocked the wind out of her, but she hastily caught her breath and rose to her feet, reaching around for the bow that had fallen out of her hand upon impact. 

The dragon stumbled away clumsily. Van and Darriah gasped in disbelief as the animal completely ignored them to slowly move near the wyrmling that had appeared in the mess of shrubs and fallen trees in the distance. Its small mouth was opened in a desperate cry. 

Hitomi fell to her knees, head throbbing in pain. It worked. She breathed deeply in exhaustion, but the corner of her mouth twitched with hints of a tired grin. Another long breath abruptly caught short in her throat as she was pulled to her feet roughly. Van's furious face sobered the feelings of victory right out of her.

"What on Gaea is **wrong** with you!" He growled, more as a statement than a question. "Why did you not run when I told you to. You were nearly killed and didn't even bother attempting to escape!"

She was stunned into silence by his fury. Had he not just minutes ago regarded her with eyes full of worry? She couldn't deal with such a sudden explosion of anger while the dull pain pounded against her skull on all sides. Her vision focused strangely on the slightly swollen part of his lower lip where it was still split and raw from yesterday.

As if on cue, a trail of blood slowly trickled from one of her nostrils. His fingers gripped her shoulders tightly as he stared at her with a mix of confusion and anger. 

"By the gods, Hitomi! Have you gone mad?" He tightened his grip on her and it almost felt painful, so she shook her arms to free herself from his hold. The wound on her lower arm flared painfully, but she ignored it.

She wiped at the blood on her upper lip with the back of her hand and sniffled. When some blood hit the back of her throat, the taste of metal filled her mouth and it fueled her own anger. She swung her arm and delivered a slap to his cheek that made the palm of her hand sting. She wasn't sure if the echo was just audible in her head or if she had, in fact, hit him so hard that the sound carried through the forest. 

Stunned at her own actions, she stared at her hand, then at Van. "Van…I'm sorry!" She mumbled.

He slowly brought a gloved hand to the offended cheek and turned to look at her. She expected anger, but his expression lacked any kind of emotion. "Darriah. Please help the lady Hitomi get back to the palace. See to it that she is treated for any injuries. She will be returning to the Mystic Moon tonight."

Darriah was at her side in an instant, steering her away from Van. She didn't protest as the woman murmured gentle words of encouragement and helped her mount the horse which had dutifully remained close. It was probably a bit strange when Hitomi asked Darriah why the animal had not been frightened at all by the beast or the fighting. Leading the horse by its reins, she briskly walked through the snow and found the path she had come here shortly after.

Hitomi turned her head around left quickly to look for Van, but she didn't see him anymore. Instead, the eye on that side of her head throbbed in intensified pain. 

She learned that the horse was well trained and used to the clanging of swords. This new knowledge helped her little. She told Darriah about the events before her arrival. Land dragons, so she told Hitomi, laid eggs in the ground and breathed their fire onto the egg to provide warmth for the wyrmling until it hatched. The warmth of a land dragon's fire lasted months. Long enough for the egg to reach maturity. This explained the lack of snow and the fertile ground around it.

 _Land dragon fire goo is like a weapon and fertilizer at the same time? Guess that explains why it's a land dragon…_

She decided that this new information also would change nothing about the situation at hand. The palace came into view and she was glad for it. Her head was killing her and she was tired and hungry beyond reason.

~~Zaibach~~

The tall sorcerer grimaced from exertion as he stepped away from the large, glowing orb. "Wonderful." He turned to the golden empress and nodded in satisfaction. "We have successfully turned more dragons. Their minds are blurred and their anger is growing stronger."

Empress Zita's metallic lips turned upwards in a smile of triumph. "When will we be able to control them?"

"Not much longer." Another sorcerer, shorter and more plump in statue replied, as he bowed low. "We will walk in the shadows of their minds soon."

~~Fanelia~~

After arriving at the palace, Hitomi was rushed to a healer. The elderly man gasped when he was told what had happened. Luckily his supply of ointments was aplenty, especially in regards to treating wounds inflicted by the fire of a Fanelian land dragon. 

The wound on her lower arm was cleaned and dressed with a bandage. After stopping in the kitchens to devour two large bowls of stew and some tea, Hitomi scrubbed herself clean as well as possible under the warm fountains of the spring before sinking into the hot pool of water. She dozed off immediately when she rested her forehead awkwardly in the crook of her elbow. The wounded arm was propped on the side of the pool, careful so as not to get it wet. 

She woke after some time, as Darriah gently poked her shoulder from above. "Pardon me, lady Hitomi."

Hitomi didn't bother to correct the woman on her formal address. She looked at her with eyes at half mast.

"It is probably best if you sleep in your chambers. The warm water will only make you more tired." The woman suggested kindly.

Hitomi nodded tiredly and after exiting the water and drying off, accepted a very simple, light blue robe with a geometric pattern that reminded her of a nemaki.

On the way back to her room, Darriah promised to send for a maid with more food soon. Hitomi collapsed on her bed and fell asleep immediately, too exhausted to even dream.

The aggressive feeling of fierce hunger woke her. In a daze, she pushed herself up to a seated position. There was a tray of food on the table on the far side of the room. Hitomi was grateful for not having had to converse with whoever had brought it.

She glanced out the window and saw that the sun was low in the sky. Dusk was near. Van said she had to go back home tonight. She snorted quietly.

 _What does he think he's talking about. I told him I didn't wish myself here. Not like I haven't tried to go back. It's not that easy this time._

After eating most of the food rather fast, she took the time to slowly sip the fragrant tea that had long turned cold. She yawned deeply and sank back into the softness of her bed. Her eyelids slowly closed again, but her mind was awake.

 _No. Enough!_ She forced her eyes to open again.

On the way through the palace, she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair in an attempt to straighten it. In passing, she earned a few strange looks from the palace staff but didn't pay it any mind. 

_Now where on Gaea is he…_ She asked her powers. _So? Show me!_ She demanded. _Supposedly we need each other. Can't be together if you don't show me where he is._

The tip of her nose tingled. _Ah_ ** _ah!_** She followed the feeling and after a few minutes of purposeful walking, the pull on her nose deposited her in front of a dark, ornate door. She opened it unceremoniously and entered.

Tall bookshelves lined the walls that weren't occupied by the fireplace on the left or the floor length window flanked by heavy, deep red drapes straight ahead. A wide, ornate desk stood in the back towards the window. It was covered in scrolls, books, and writing utensils.

Van turned his head in surprise. "Strange. Normally people at least knock before they enter." He closed the book he had been holding and placed it on the shelf next to him. "Have you come to say farewell?" 

Hitomi closed the door behind herself soundly. She wasn't prepared for this. He wasn't even fully dressed. He was wearing a dark blue, untied haori jacket that hung loosely on his broad shoulders. The flames in the fireplace cast dancing lights and shadows across his well sculpted, tan upper body. A pair of black breeches hung dangerously low on his hips and her eyes followed a dark trail of hair from his lower belly to where it disappeared below the waistband. The breeches were short and ended just below the knee. He was barefoot too, and why not? It was warm enough in the small room. Much too warm, actually.

 _That's not fair._ She thought dryly.

After hesitating for a moment, Hitomi took several steps towards him and stopped before getting too close. Maybe she should have made sure that her own robe was tied more tightly.

Van regarded her closely. She was still beautiful in such a different way from most of the other women. Few of them had hair any shorter than past the shoulders. Not many of them would be caught dead stepping in front of him without kohl around their eyes, rouge on their cheeks or lips painted an unnatural shade of red. Absolutely none of them would dare to be seen in a simple robe, let alone one that was so disheveled. 

"Van I can't go back." She finally said quietly, avoiding his gaze. "There's something I need to do here."

He crossed his arms over his chest and casually leaned against the bookshelf on his side. "Humor me."

She decided to ignore his spiteful tone. "I don't know what it is."

He chuckled. "Well, if you don't know what it is, how will that help?"

Hitomi raised her head to glare at him. "I told you I don't know **yet**. But how about you help me find out? I can't just wish myself back this time."

"How about," he uncrossed his arms and balled his hands into tight fists "you try harder. I'm sure you have plenty of things … and people… waiting for you at home."

This time, he averted his gaze. He remembered what the pendant had shown him. A happy, smiling Hitomi in the arms of a stranger. He had held her tightly, in ways Van could only dream about. His jaw tensed as he imagined the stranger kissing her lips tenderly.

"What if I don't?" She shot back. "I know what you think you saw years ago but it's wrong. That vision, whatever it exactly was, it didn't come true." Hearing this made his eyebrows rise in surprise. "You shouldn't have broken our link!" She stepped up close to him now, spurred on by her own words. Her eyes glazed over as the anger came back. "You should have **talked** to me first! Ten years, Van! You pigheaded…" She raised her hand, but this time he was quicker.

He caught her wrist with his hand and pushed it high against the frame of the bookshelf. When she attempted to use her other hand, he gripped that upper arm and forced her back, his body pushed into hers to keep her from harming him, and possibly herself. She gasped as she found herself in this compromised position. Six feet of angry king was pressed up against her tightly. 

Her nostrils flared. Flight. Her attempts to escape him were futile. Hitomi struggled against him, but he was stronger. She raised her head slowly, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat. His smooth chest radiated warmth against her own, and due to the close proximity, she could see the thumping rhythm of his heartbeat under his tan skin.

 _He is nervous too._

Van lowered his head next to her ear. "I don't know if I can protect you this time, Hitomi." He said more calmly than she expected.

"And who," she struggled half-heartedly against him again "who says I expect you to do that." 

He growled deep in his chest as he felt her slender body move against his. She had a dangerous effect on him. Before it could become too precarious, he shifted his hips and pushed one of his legs against her middle to pin her this way instead.

She gasped as he shifted his hips and pushed one of his legs against her pelvis. The wooden shelf behind her pushed into her rear painfully. She released some of the tension along her body and parted her legs to gain more room for herself. The folds of her nemaki robe parted as his thigh slid further between hers.

The sharp hiss of a sudden exhale tickled her ear. His chest was rising and falling with each breath he took and his solid body was so warm against hers. Her own face grew unbelievably hot when she remembered that she wore nothing underneath the robe.

"I am not using you for your gifts again." He said in a deep, serious voice. The side where his lip was pelted dragged across her cheekbone as he moved his head away slowly. Tilting her head up, she looked straight at him. His eyes were dark and full of desire as his ebony hair fell wildly across his forehead. He was longing for her, she could tell. 

She licked her dry lips before she responded. "Shouldn't that be my choice?"

He swallowed as he watched her tongue dart out to moisten her lips. When she tried to free the hand he had pinned against the bookshelf, he let her. She placed it on his chest and he wasn't sure whether she was trying to push him away. His own free hand, as if having a mind of its own, came to rest somewhere between her waist and hips.

Her fingers curled and uncurled on his pectoral. Not pushing him away. Alright. He traced the belt of her robe and began to rub the soft curves underneath, pulling at the fabric in the process. She groaned softly in response as her eyes relaxed their intense gaze.

He tugged on the belt and the folds of her robe parted more, creating a deeper cleavage. The hand that was still latched on to her upper arm haltingly traveled towards her shoulder where the fabric of her robe was loose around it. He traced her collarbone with his calloused thumb and it made her shiver visibly. 

She felt so unbelievably good. Her body was soft in all the places his wasn't. Her scent was enticing and she was responding to his ministrations. Another quiet moan escaped her as he pushed the fabric of her robe back from her shoulder and savored the soft skin with the palm of his hand.

Van felt her other hand trace the side of his waist. Her warm touch so close to his growing excitement made him respond with a sharp inhale. The hand on her shoulder moved up more, brushing the sensitive skin on the side of her neck until his fingers were in her short hair, cradling the back of her head.

Hitomi's hand wandered around his side to his back and started massaging one of his well-defined erector muscles. The fingers of her other hand were still lazily rubbing his chest. In the deep cleavage of the robe, he saw the swell of her small breasts rise and sink under her fast breaths. A thoroughly hypnotizing sight. 

Hitomi relaxed her body, allowing him to explore her. It had been a long time since she had granted anybody the permission to touch her in such an intimate way. She briefly wondered how many women exactly had been in his arms. The thought was interrupted as Van's hand boldly moved from her hip to her rear. His fingers dug into her possessively as he pulled her even closer up against his thigh. A surprised sound of pleasure escaped her as she felt the friction between her legs. 

She breathed in his scent as her nose came near his face. He smelled of wood, spices, and something that was solely him. Her perked nipples rubbed painfully against the fabric of her robe, the only barrier between her chest and his. She ached to feel his smooth skin against them.

Van's foggy mind was reduced to registering only the feel of her body in his arms. Her touch was something he hadn't been prepared for. It had short-circuited his brain and stolen his wits. Bit by bit, his lips moved closer to hers until he felt her breath on them. Finally, they connected chastely. Her lips were supple, sweet and soft. She tasted of honey, fruit tea, and something delicious he desperately longed to savor more thoroughly. 

He pulled back after a short moment and watched her lips part slightly, as if in protest. Hitomi sucked her lower lip into her mouth carefully, as if to taste the kiss. When her mouth closed again, he brought the hand from behind her head around to her face and ran his thumb along the moist lower lip marveling its softness.

His eyes were half closed and full of desire when his lips descended on hers again. Friction built as their mouths rubbed against each other and Hitomi responded by grasping at the skin on his back and chest tightly.

She was on her tiptoes when Van's tongue entered her hot mouth as she parted her lips for him willingly. His caresses remained soft but demanding as they tasted each other. Lost in their intimate embrace, she was about to move her hand around his neck to pull herself against him more forcefully when the door flew open and Merle barged in. 

"Van! I heard what happ…" She came to an abrupt stop as she saw the two of them entwined intimately, eyes wide as ever.

Hitomi and Van sprang apart instantly. Van took several steps back and bumped into his desk. "What **is** it with people not knocking around here anymore?" He exclaimed in frustration.

Merle still slightly taken aback by the unexpected scene tried to regain her composure. "I...I…sorry."

Hitomi quickly reached for the belt of her nemaki to neaten up the garment, somehow at a loss for words.

Van collected his wits first and quickly removed himself from the situation via the open door. The two women were left staring at each other in awkward silence until a grin slowly formed on one corner of Merle's mouth.

 **Tbc…**

A/N: I believe this is what everybody has been waiting for?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Folks, I do have a plan for this story, but you may not like how some things are going and that's understandable. That said, I **am** a V/H fan so trust me.

Ten years is a long time and in my head, Van is very bitter, even though he fucked up good. It's usually not easy to admit that easily, especially not for this pigheaded king. 

I may raise the rating for this story due to citrusy situations in the future and just so it's clear that this is not just a fluffy, romantic tale. Things don't always happen in an ideal way. Aggression, sexual tensions, and mind games are part of it and Hitmi yet has to go through some intense stuff.

Pls, don't hate me. I'm just a silly girl with a colorful imagination. It's crazy how the characters and the story itself have taken on a life of their own. AS always, I do still love to hear from you! 

~~Fanelia~~

Van woke strangely early in the morning with a dark feeling in his gut. Something told him that trouble was imminent. He found a fresh set of black breeches and tunic in his fairly monotone wardrobe. Just as he was about to finish dressing, Kur barged into his chambers.

"My lord!" His breathing was labored after the fast run. "A dragon was sighted near the border. It is reportedly behaving very strange. If we rush, we can make it there before it takes off again." He was bracing himself on the doorframe to catch his breath in between words. His shaggy hair and light armor were disheveled. He had obviously dressed in a haste also, likely after being woken by one of his birds rattling impatiently on the window. 

Van reached for his black jacket with the stiff collar hanging on the back of a chair. "We are taking the Varie." He answered quickly as he fastened the belt with the royal sword to his hips. Kur was gone in an instant with Van not far behind. They rushed through the hallways and out the castle to the stables right beside it.

Merle caught up with them just after they entered the dark barn. "What's happened? I heard running in the hallways!" She was dressed a lot neater than both men. She had been up, of course. As part feline, nighttime was her favorite time of the day.

"Dragon. We have to go." Van explained hurriedly as he mounted his stallion. "This might be our chance to find out more."

"Where?" Merle asked urgently.

"At the eastern border." Kur nodded to Merle, already on his grey Basramian mare as they passed her in a hurry. She was left standing alone in the barn looking after their galloping horses as they were headed to the small levi ship field. _Oh no. I hope this won't end badly._

Merle returned to the castle to find Hitomi still peacefully asleep in her bed. The events of the previous day had left the poor woman utterly exhausted. So exhausted, that Merle had decided to spare her with any questions about either dragon encounter until the next morning.

Merle decided that she needed to find out more before she was due to make her rounds. Part of her army's duties was keeping watch for potential foes around the capital and villages from the ground. She carefully entered Hitomi's room and shook the young woman awake carefully.

Hitomi was surprised to find her sleep interrupted so early. "Merle? What's going on?" She yawned.

"Kur and Van left. They are on the way to the eastern border to investigate a dragon sighting." She explained.

Hitomi gasped and sat up in bed. "What?"

"They are hoping to learn more about what's going on. Something about this one seems to be different but they had no time to explain. It shouldn't take them long to get there and find it. We have some ships patrolling the borders and I think one of them must have sent a falcon. The Varie is fast and it didn't look like they were waiting for any of the soldiers to accompany them." Merle walked over to the small table by the tall windows and chose to sit on it instead of any of the chairs. "Tell me what happened with the land dragon."

Hitomi nodded as she rose from her bed and pulled the nemaki robe over the thin set of underclothing she slept in. She recounted the events to Merle, who listened intently. The neko didn't interrupt Hitomi, letting her explain in detail. 

"I think I can… could control them." She said as her finishing statement and stopped in the middle of the room where she had been pacing back and forth slowly during her recount.

Merle was looking at her, eyes wide. "Hitomi that's unbelievable."

"I know! It started out with me being able to rewind what I saw but now it's so much more. I almost feel like my powers are growing, especially since I came back here." She walked over to one of the tall windows and looked at her own reflection in the glass. "When I was still on Earth, I was able to see a person's future and rewind it by briefly...pushing them, or something...to change it. I never thought to try it on an animal until I came here."

The sun was slowly rising and her reflection was starting to disappear to give way to the shape of the gardens and forest behind the glass. She ran her hands through her short hair and smoothed it down.

"We need to consult together after they return. You may be on to something here." Merle said as she slid off the table. "I have to leave now and make my rounds, but we need to talk about this more. I'll come find you when I finish."

Hitomi nodded. "I'll…. uhm... I don't know…" She said undecidedly. Going for a run again today was definitely not on her agenda. 

Merle shrugged. "The library is a good place to pass some time."

Hitomi frowned but nodded. What good would a library do her if she couldn't read any of the books in it? It was no use. She didn't feel like doing anything in particular at the moment.

After Merle left, she picked one of the kimono dresses that had been given to her. A red one this time, with gold embroidery and a matching obi which she tied in a bow under her breasts, as was the Fanelian fashion. She found some comfort in the simple breakfast she once again took in the kitchens. The cozy environment and friendly cook made her feel at home more than anything else here.

She opened the doors to the library and was stunned. Hitomi carefully closed the ornate doors behind herself and stood a moment to regard the room. It wasn't the size that amazed her, but rather the fact that the bookshelves extended all the way up to the tall ceiling. Several ladders were attached to them that allowed access to the high up sections.

The library was fairly dark due to the fact that books took up most of the room along the walls and left little space for windows. There was only one, right in the middle of the outside wall, and even this one didn't extend all the way to the floor like most windows in the palace but had more books stacked underneath the windowsill. 

She walked over to one of the shelves and ran her hands along the leather spines carefully. A short knock at the door demanded her attention.

"Yes?" Hitomi asked out loud.

A young girl entered, firewood under her arms, and bowed her head as a greeting. "I'm Mira, my lady. Lerna sent me. She mentioned that you would be here and asked me to build a fire to make the room more comfortable for you."

Hitomi had given up correcting people about how to address her. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that." She said as she watched the young maid move over to the small fireplace in the corner and get to work.

The young, black-haired girl looked to be in her mid-teens. She was clothed in a simple, brown shirt, a pair of culottes, and an apron. The belt at her hips held a short sword. 

When the fire started to greedily spread over the logs, the girl rose again and smiled at Hitomi, who was still looking at her, or rather her weapon in particular.

"Do you like my sword, my lady? Would you like to see it?" She unsheathed it skillfully and offered it to Hitomi, haft first.

Unsure what to expect, Hitomi reached for it and closed her fingers around the leather hilt. It was heavier than she expected. She looked it over with timid hesitation. The weapon felt alien in her hand. She handed it back after a short moment. "Thank you. It's… beautiful. I'm sorry, I don't know anything about swords. Where I come from, we don't really use them except for ceremonies or wooden ones for sports."

Mira looked at her quizzically. "Then how do you defend yourselves? For a long time, women in Fanelia didn't fight, but we soon found that not knowing how to wield a sword won't protect us from dying by one." She took the weapon from Hitomi and sheathed it again. 

"If there is nothing else you require, I will be on my way." Mira offered in a friendly tone.

"I'm fine, thank you for your help." Hitomi dismissed her and the girl left with another curt bow of her head.

After inspecting several shelves, Hitomi came up with a pile of books that looked like they could be interesting enough to at least go through for pictures. The letters and words still looked as foreign as ever, she discovered quickly as she leafed through the book closest within reach, before she climbed one of the ladders to look around more. 

How was it that she could understand as well as speak the language easily, but not read it? Perhaps she should ask somebody to teach her. But would it pay off? How long was she going to stay here anyway? She wondered if anybody on Earth had noticed that she was gone yet. Surely they would immediately miss her at school, but what about her parents?

 _Oh, Van._ She sighed in frustration as she placed the pile of books on the table in the middle of the room. Soft upholstery covered the bench she settled on with one of the tomes. The lettering on the black cover was intricate and looked like somebody had carefully painted it on the cover with liquid gold. Underneath, also in gold, the crest of Fanelia was embossed into the cover.

She opened it to one of the first pages where she found an illustration. Although simple in style, the colors were beautiful and the style of the picture made to resemble a scene in a stained glass window. The depiction itself was a sad one, though. It was showing the destruction of Fanelia by an invisible enemy. _That looks very familiar._

Hitomi turned the pages to find the next illustration. _That's Van and me!_ She ran her fingers over the page as she regarded the image. A figure with black hair clad in red and khaki was holding a sword as he stood next to another figure dressed in green, with a mop of honey-colored hair. _Oooh, why can't I_ ** _read_** _this?_ She furrowed her brow in frustration.

Continuing through the book, she stopped at each of the images. A lot of them depicted her and Van together with Escaflowne. Some showed Merle, Millerna, Allen, and the Dragon Slayers. On one of the last pages, she found the one that startled her most. It was her and Van, embracing tightly in the light of Dornkirk's machine.

A quiet tear slid down Hitomi's cheek. _Why did everything have to be this way now…_

She closed the book and clutched it to her chest tightly as she sank back against the plush pillows. Her mind wandered back to the previous night. Van and she had shared a few minutes of intense passion, but did it even mean anything? It was obvious that they desired each other, but was there any love left? He had reverted back to the unapproachable and arrogant self she came to know when they first met. 

Her head became heavy as her thoughts slowed. The warmth of the crackling fire close by was making her tired and her mind slowly went slack.

She woke with a start and found that she was no longer on the soft upholstery. A thick fog surrounded her and the ground looked very strange, like the surface of a lake, but solid. It rippled underneath her as she got to her feet carefully and the deep red color of the kimono dress reflected itself in it.

"Come to us, child." A mysterious voice beckoned her.

Hitomi spun around a few times and came to a stop when she saw nothing.

"You will find us, child, no matter where you go." The voice helped.

With a bit of hesitation, Hitomi slowly began to walk through the mist until it thinned out and left her standing on charcoal colored, smooth stone. An otherworldly being stood there, waiting for her. She was stunned into silence as she stared at it. Her eyes were captivated by the moving stars and nebulae drifting lazily inside the human-like shape. 

"We are Moiragetes. We are you, and you are us." It spoke again before Hitomi could say anything at all. This time, Hitomi noticed that it wasn't speaking in just one voice, but in a whole chorus of voices. 

"We can assume the form of one of us if that pleases you." The strange being offered. Hitomi could only nod dumbly. 

The shape shifted to assume a woman slightly shorter than Hitomi. Her long, grey hair was braided into two pigtails. The traditional, dark blue kimono with the yellow flowers looked as beautiful on her grandmother as it had in her youth.

Hitomi gasped and raised one of her hands to cover her quivering mouth as tears collected in her eyes.

"My dear Hitomi." The old woman spoke softly. "Look at how beautiful and strong you have grown." She reached out a ghostly hand and smiled as it hovered near Hitomi's cheek. "You have to be strong. Gaea's fate depends on it. Oh, I wish I could have explained everything better a long time ago." 

Hitomi stifled a sob.

"You can save this world, but you need to have more faith in your powers. You are so very powerful, my dear. More powerful than I ever was." She stated. Her form began to waver and shift slightly as a second voice chimed in.

"Yuri, we haven't got much time. Let me talk to her." Moira's voice took over as the shape shifted into that of the other old woman. "Seeress. We are the collective conscious of oracles throughout centuries. The ministers of fate. Cassandra, Nostradamus, Baba Vanga, that fool Lyn Cassidy, your grandmother Yuri, me, and so many more. You are one of us. A fortune teller, a psychic, a soothsayer, call it what you will. Your gift was bestowed upon you by the fates. Together, we are Moiragetes."

Hitomi fought to regain her composure. "What does this mean for me?"

"You, my dear seeress, work for us down in Gaea," Moira answered. "You are a minister of fate and have the power to bend fate to your will by taking control of a creature's mind. I can't explain to you in detail how to do it, but your mind has to find its way through time and space." 

Shaking her head wildly, Hitomi raked one of her hands through her hair. "I can't! It's too much!" She exclaimed in frustration. "Why does it always seem like the fate of Gaea depends on me?"

"Because your own fate is entwined with it, too. Our time is almost over." Moira spoke urgently. "Reach out. Reach out far and you will be able to find what you need to touch. But be careful to not lose yourself in the process. Don't go through too many layers of consciousness or you **will** lose yourself."

Hitomi finally composed herself enough again to ask another question, but her voice came up empty. She woke abruptly as the book she had been holding thumped on the floor. _Gods…this is not what I expected…_

She sat up and massaged both temples with her fingertips. _Okay, Hitomi. Calm down and think. She said 'reach out and you will find'. But what exactly? Dragons?_ _That's insane! The baby dragon was doable but the grown land dragon… I don't know if I can do it._

Finally, she rose from the soft cushions of the low bench and walked towards the window. Her reflection was distorted by the structure of the glass. She unlatched it and opened it, shivering immediately as the cold air invaded the cozy, warm library.

Hitomi slowed and deepened her breaths. The snow was falling quietly and peacefully outside and she watched the flakes dance through the air for a while. Some of them twirled towards her excitedly, dissolving immediately upon landing on her face and bare arms. She slowly spaced out, focusing on a patch of white snow clinging to the side of the mountain cliffs in the distance.

 _Where are Van and Kur? Where is this dragon they are hunting?_ She imagined her grandmother's pendant. Dowsing was something she hadn't done in a long time, but it was like riding a bike for her. The pink pendant swung back and forth in a rhythmic fashion until it decisively pointed east. At the same time, her right index finger grew warm as the small energist in her ring began to glow again.

She followed the direction and let the changing winds and snow carry her mind further and further away. Small tugs demanded her attention here and there, but they weren't what she was looking for. Hitomi's mind wandered and searched around the outskirts of the eastern villages at the border until she found the mass of energy that was the dragon's rage. 

~~Aboard the Varie~~

"Lord Van!" Kur called for Van's attention from the ship's helm. The ship was small and fast, designed to operate under the care of as few people as possible. If needed, two people could fly it. This had been a big advantage when they were forced to leave the palace in a rush.

"I see it," Van responded promptly as he left the small bridge through one of the side doors and advanced towards the wooden rails in the front. 

Another levi ship, one of those dispatched to patrol the border, was already engaged in battle with the dragon. As they advanced on it, they could see the deep yellow hide of the beast crackle with energy. Due to the speed of the patrol ship, the crew had been able to evade its attacks for the most part, but one of the side sails was singed a bit, which compromised its maneuverability.

This should have presented the dragon with an advantage, but it seemed as if the dragon had some problems also as it was moving in a somewhat clumsy manner. It looked as though it was having difficulties coordinating its movements, especially its wings.

Van readied the main and only weapon of the ship, a large harpoon mounted on the starboard side of the deck. The ammunition, several arrows forged from iron about as long and as thick as a broomstick, were stored close by. He aimed quickly and missed the beast by a small margin. The strong winds and snow were making it more difficult to estimate the arrow's trajectory. Regardless, the attack had caught the dragon's attention and he was headed straight for them now.

~~Zaibach~~

The tall sorcerer was standing close to the machine and infused it with his magic to power it up. Long, dark robes covered him from head to toe as was the Zaibach custom. The mind fusion electrodes were attached to his temples and the intensity gauge of the tall, metallic soul diver was within the normal limits.

Several other sorcerers stood around him to monitor his vitals, as well as the machine's performance. As the glowing magical orb with his powers began to facilitate the process in a stable manner, he spoke as if in trance. "I have located a subject. It is an energy dragon. I will commence the dive."

His eyes rolled back into his head and his long, braided beard quivered under the mental strain. The beast was his, ready to do his bidding.

"I am near land, but there is water too. Tall mountains surround me. Snow. So much snow." He described the landscape he saw through the dragon's eyes.

A short, plump sorcerer excitedly said. "The borders of Fanelia. It is the only country whose borders are enclosed by tall mountains and water!"

"I see an airship. It looks like a patrol." The tall sorcerer stated.

"Attack it!" The golden empress in the shadows commanded. "We need to know how well the controls last."

"Yes, your majesty." He obediently replied.

The bystanders watched the sorcerer closely as he learned the animal's movements, fused his mind with the creature's, and gradually took control. He engaged the ship in a clumsy battle, not immediately being able to master the beast.

When he reported that he had spotted the king of Fanelia on another approaching ship, he was commanded to attack immediately.

~~A different plane of existence~~

When Hitomi touched the dragon's aura for the first time, she recoiled instinctively. Its rage was overwhelming and she wasn't sure how to approach it best. The baby dragon had been slightly distressed in search of its mother, but this was a whole different level. This dragon was shaking with fury. 

She mentally gulped and enveloped the raging mass with her own consciousness. Darkness surrounded her, as always. Unlike with creatures that were at peace on the inside, this environment was filled with turmoil. The air seemed to vibrate and slow her every move to the speed of dripping molasses. When Hitomi looked at her hands, their shapes were blurred by the intensity of the forces.

She struggled to compose herself and take control. The vibrations were pushing against her body from the inside, as well as the outside. Then she noticed she was not alone in the vast black space. A tall man clad in dark robes with a braided beard was there with her. He looked at her with a face full of surprise, strained and fighting against the same forces that were shaking her to the very core.

"Who **are** you? How did you **get** here?" He asked out of clenched teeth.

Hitomi was so surprised she wasn't sure what to say. "Hitomi. I'm Hitomi." She finally gasped.

The sorcerer's eyes widened. "You are the dragon's seeress! Impossible. How did you **get** here?" He repeated his previous question.

"I… I just can." She spat, struggling to keep herself upright. "How did **you** get here?" She shot back the question, annoyed that the man's intense hostility demanded her attention in addition to the task of keeping her mind entangled with the dragon's.

His hard features twisted into a triumphant grin. "Magic."

 _Oh no! He is a Zaibach sorcerer._ She thought, now fully aware of the implications. _Can he do magic in here?_ She worried immediately.

Hitomi's silent question was answered as a small orb of destructive magic sailed her way very slowly through the vibrating air and she had to duck to avoid it. The whole process felt as if she was moving in slow motion. Her brain, however, was operating at normal speed. _Great, he can shoot magic bombs, but what can I do?_

Another attack was on the way and she rolled aside in a painstakingly slow speed to avoid it again. Hitomi's anger rose. She clumsily clambered to her feet and groaned in frustration. Not only was it difficult to focus on keeping the mind link open, but now she was distracted on top of it.

She focused on the man's face. His eyes, to be precise. The lines in his skin around them were deep from the mental strain. He was struggling to remain connected too. _I can't stay here for much longer. I have to do something_ ** _now_** Hitomi boldly advanced until she was up close to him in a snaillike tempo. Her legs dragged through the thick air with so much effort it felt like walking through jello. Luckily, the sorcerer's movements were just as slow. He was conjuring up another energy bomb in his hand when she reached out and pushed her flat hand against his forehead with as much force as she could muster.

Hitomi screamed as her hand connected with his cold skin. Her mind slipped into his and suddenly she saw, through his eyes, the metallic diver, the sorcerers around the apparatus, and a woman clad in gold watching closely from the shadows. The people's mouths moved, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.

Somebody rushed up to the side of the body and shook it violently as a long vial next to them exploded and sent a pink liquid splattering across whoever was close. The link broke abruptly and she was back in the dragon's dark mind. The sorcerer was flat on his back, mouth opening and closing in a dazed fashion, like a fish out of water.

The vibrations around her grew more intense as the dragon was now fully under her control. She took the reins and pulled him upwards. 

~~ Aboard the Varie~~

The dragon suddenly changed its course to soar upwards in a perfectly vertical direction. Van's arrow was about to impale itself directly into the dragon's skull as it was headed for the Varie on a collision course. His head snapped back to follow the animal's movements as his wild hair whipped around him, pulled by the strong force of the winds around him.

"What in the name of the Gods is going on with this animal?" Van asked himself out loud as the dragon narrowly escaped his attack. The beast had suddenly focused on his ship with an unnaturally intense determination. As if suicidal the dragon was headed straight for them. Usually, the creatures were intelligent enough to know a counter-attack was coming and didn't attack full frontal. "It is as if somebody possessed it." 

Van was joined by Kur on the main deck after he anchored the ship in mid-air. Both of them inclined their heads to watch the dragon soar high above them, it was flying in loops as if practicing how to fly properly. Its movements now seemed strangely different. More majestic, yet still unusual. 

A plume of electrical energy was visible through the snow as the dragon unleashed its crackling flames into the cold air. After a few moments, it beat its massive wings more steadily and disappeared into the distance.

Van was so utterly confused about what had happened. Twice now, an attacking dragon had simply up and left. He was a bit relieved that he hadn't been forced to kill either of them, but the events were indeed very curious.

~~The Palace in Fanelia~~

Merle gasped out loud when she entered the library and was greeted with a room full of icy air. A strong gust of wind snatched the door out of her grip and slammed it shut soundly.

"Hitomi!" She yelled in surprise as she saw the young woman standing right in front of the wide-open window, hands stretched out onto the windowsill. She rushed to her side and saw that Hitomi's fingers were clutching uselessly against the melted snow beneath them. 

Her eyes were in a daze, and her face seemed to be affected by some unseen force as if vibrating from the inside. Merle wasn't sure what to do. _What if I touch her and it hurts her? I don't know what to do!_

"Hitomi! **Hitomi**!" She finally settled on yelling her name to see if her friend would take notice. Nothing happened. She watched her for another minute and jumped in surprise when Hitomi screamed out loud.

Finally, Merle was so scared that she placed a hand on her shoulder. In an instant, Hitomi slumped forward against the windowsill and Merle rushed to catch her around the waist. She placed one of her arms around the woman's back and used the other to support Hitomi's upper body with hers.

Hitomi was chilled to the bone. The strong gusts of wind were battling with the flames in the fireplace. Merle half dragged, half carried Hitomi with her onto the bench by the table. She gently placed her friend on her back and quickly returned to the window to close it.

On the way back over, she stopped by the fireplace to add all the spare logs beside it. She stoked it with the poker nearby to make sure the flames would be able to consume the wood properly and then flew back to Hitomi's side.

Blood was trickling out of her nose and her face was unbelievably pale. Whether from exhaustion or from being cold, Merle wasn't sure. Probably both. She took Hitomi's hands in hers and rubbed them together. They were cold as ice.

"Hitomi! Hitomi! Don't make me slap you to wake you up!" Merle yelled erratically. "I'm just joking. I wouldn't do that to you anymore. Please wake up, Hitomi!" She shook her by the shoulders.

Finally, Hitomi came round. Her head moved from side to side in a daze before it lay still again and her emerald eyes appeared behind half open, heavy lids. "Mer….lllle?" Hitomi mumbled.

"Yes, it's me! Hitomi! Are you alright?" She begged frantically. 

"Uuuh…" Hitomi mumbled again as she brought one of her hands up to touch her face. She clumsily smeared the blood across her lips and cheek in the process. 

"Gods, Hitomi. Why are you bleeding? What can I do to help?!" Merle asked, but she didn't get an answer as Hitomi's eyes closed again.

"Hitomi!" She yelled again.

"Ye….es. Mok." Hitomi mumbled with closed eyes. "Mso tired. Jus need sssleep."

Merle got to her feet and flew out the door to fetch the healer. The old man came back with her shortly after. Apart from severe fatigue, he couldn't find anything wrong with Hitomi. He cleaned her face and instructed one of the maids that had gathered by the door in the meantime, to bring blankets in order to warm her body. There was nothing else that could be done.

Merle settled on the floor next to Hitomi, holding her hand and resting the side of her head against the blankets covering her friend. She stared at the fire for what seemed like hours until she was startled by the sound of the door opening.

"Merle. What…" Van entered the room. His cheeks were flushed as was normal for someone who had just come from the cold outside into the warmth of a building.

He stood halfway between the door and herself, staring at Hitomi. His chest rose in a deep inhale when he saw her limp form on the bench.

"I found her standing at the open window when I came. She was completely out of it. In a trance, like she used to when she had her visions, but then she fainted." Merle gently let go of Hitomi's hand and got to her feet.

"No idea what happened. I… I hope… I think she will be alright. She talked some, said she was tired. Culix didn't find anything wrong with her. He said she had to rest." Merle explained in a rush.

Van didn't respond. He quietly walked over to Hitomi, sank to one knee, and ran his gloved hand across her cheek. Her head softly pushed into the back of his hand as she exhaled quietly.

Merle watched as Van's ebony bangs fell across his ruby eyes. They always very conveniently did this when he wished to hide his emotions. He remained like this for a moment, with his hand resting on Hitomi's cheek. Then, in a swift motion, he pulled back the layers of blankets covering her slender form.

He pushed his hands under her back and knees to gingerly lift her into his arms. Hitomi's head came to rest on his shoulder as he held her close.

"I'm bringing her to bed." He said quietly. Get Darriah. After that, meet Kur and me at the roundtable. With that, he left the room. 

She had done something and it had to do with the dragons in both instances. He was sure of it. Just what was she capable of now? The thought of Hitomi already being involved in this whole mess scared him more than anything. He glanced down at her pale face every now and again as he carried her down the hallways.

A dark feeling spread in his stomach again when he remembered the time he had to bring her back from the dead in the dungeons of Godashim. Then, later on, she ended up doing the same for him. She recklessly risked her own life to enter the realm of the dead in search of him. He shuddered at the thought of how close they had both come to losing their lives. All he had wanted for her was to live a full and happy life, to grow old and forget about him and Gaea. How was it that everything had slipped out of place so suddenly and so quickly after a decade of her being gone? 

He let himself into her guest room. Oh, the irony. Hadn't a few of his …companions… also occupied it over the years? Women he had chosen to bed, let them entertain him and then discard as none of them could satisfy his desire to forget. To forget her. It didn't feel right for Hitomi to stay here. She deserved better. He was a murderer. A despicable man, full of faults. However, it was no use to think about such things right now. He gently placed her on the bed, removed her shoes, and loosened the obi of her dress a bit to make it more comfortable for her. 

She stirred slightly as her slender body finally rested on the comfortable mattress and turned her head into the soft pillow with a sigh. For a while, he sat on the side of her bed and studied her features. Her face was serene, devoid of emotion and at peace. This is what it was supposed to look like. Her face. Not twisted in anger, pain, or worry. He pulled off one of his leather gloves and slowly inched his fingers closer to her face.

Why did this feel so much different than the previous night? So much more intimate on another level. Guilt twisted through him as his fingers traced along her cheekbone, around her ear and through the short hair around it. She stirred again under his touch.

Van quickly retracted his hand and pulled the black glove back on. He pulled the covers over her and swiftly left the room.

When Hitomi felt a hand on her face, she struggled to wake. Her eyelids were impossibly heavy. She pried them open, but all she saw was a dark shape disappear through the door on the other side of the room and closing it quickly.

She remembered little about what had happened after the connection broke. She had briefly had a chance to take over the dragon, steer it, control it, and feel its power. It had reminded her of electricity. Oh, how mighty the animal had been. It had made her feel strangely good to control the animal in the end. After she had steered it out east and further over the water, she had suddenly been pulled from the link. 

All she could now remember was Merle's candy apple colored hair, something wet on her face, and feeling so so so cold.

 _I have to tell them. Now. Before more happens._ Hitomi brought her hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes and forehead. She allowed herself a few minutes to sit on the side of the bed before carefully standing up. She was dizzy and felt as if she had been dropped in a blender to be properly scrambled and shaken. The sensation in her head was that of being stuck in a vice.

With a great amount of effort, she staggered to the small washroom to wash her face. It made her feel slightly better, although nothing would change the fact that her eyes were bloodshot as if she hadn't slept in days. She rearranged her dress and found her shoes, then left the room to start finding…whoever she could find first.

Hitomi moved down the hallways cautiously, bracing herself on the walls here and there to rest. She saw a maid disappear behind a corner just as she turned into a long hallway, but when she tried to call out for the woman, her words were barely a whisper. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, but she wasn't going to give up so easily.

 _Time to help me again. Where should I go?_ Her nose tingled instantly and showed her the way and she didn't have to walk far anymore. The door to the room was open and the glow of a warm fire, as well as several voices, indicated that it was occupied. She pushed the door open further and herself through the opening. 

Kur's was speaking. "It was as if something has possessed it. Something that caused it to…"

"It was me." Hitomi quietly interrupted him.

Four heads turned in her direction. "Hitomi!" Merle exclaimed full of worry. She immediately came to her side and began fussing over her. "You were unconscious just earlier. Are you alright?"

Hitomi brushed her aside in the light of Van's gaze. She didn't need to appear any weaker in front of him than he probably already thought her to be. "I can explain. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."

She moved over to the table as dignified as she was able to and inwardly sighed in relief as she lowered herself to sit in one of the two empty chairs, the one closest to Darriah. Her dark face was masked in confusion. Merle took her own seat again between Hitomi and Van's brooding form.

How thoroughly skilled he was at it. A master of the art of brooding. Always had been, always would be. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as defiantly as ever, but at least this time he seemed ready to listen.

Merle and Kur nodded at her inquisitively. She saw this as a sign to begin.

"Earlier today, I fell asleep and woke in a strange dreamscape. I'm not sure if it was a real plane of existence or if I dreamed it up, but… I spoke to my grandmother there… and this woman I met on Earth ehh… the Mystic Moon who was sent there from Gaea decades ago. I think… I think she must have died shortly after I met her." Hitomi wrung her hands together tightly when she thought about Moira. She exhaled to release the tension in her hands before continuing.

"There were so many voices. The voices of so many oracles and fortune tellers. They also call themselves ministers of fate. They told me I could warp into a creature's mind and take it over." She looked at the three stunned faces. Merle was about to ask something, but Hitomi stopped her with a raised hand. "Just… let me say everything I know and then you can ask me anything. I'll try to answer."

Merle nodded and Hitomi continued.

"When I woke up, I was back in the library. It took me a bit to figure out what to do, but staring at the snow helped me relax and concentrate somehow. It calmed me enough to remember I could dowse to find Van and Kur. The pendant showed me the way in my mind and I followed its direction." Hitomi rubbed the side of her head as the tense sensation in it intensified and caused it to start pounding with a dull ache.

"Somehow, I don't know how to explain it…I dove into the dragon's mind." She struggled for a good way to explain the process.

"I did it before with the white tail, "she said looking at Kur "and the baby dragon." She shifted her look towards Darriah, and finally to Van. "Those were easy because the Whitetail was pure and the baby dragon was young and the only thing it was upset about was not being close to its mother. The full-grown dragon today was…more difficult to handle." 

Toning down her explanation was perhaps not a bad idea. Worrying everybody about just how painful it had been to dive into the dragon's mind surely wouldn't help. "When I was in there, I met someone. A Zaibach sorcerer."

"Come again?!" Merle gasped, cobalt eyes wide in shock.

"I know it's crazy. I think they know how to do it too. Ready for another layer of crazy? I dove into his mind too. We kind of had it out for a few minutes. Apparently, he was still able to conjure up enough energy to throw some bombs at me in there uh…" She quickly stopped talking about it when Van's lips twisted in disapproval.

"Anyway, I pushed him out. But before that, I saw through his eyes. He was in a big room full of other sorcerers and some machine. It had gauges and control panels like Dornkirk's did, but I'm not sure what it was. It may be helping them dive into the dragons' minds. There was also somebody else. It was a woman all dressed in gold." She offered.

"Their empress. Zita." Kur quickly explained.

Hitomi shrugged. "If you say so. I wasn't there for long. It was difficult to maintain such a complicated link." _Difficult doesn't even come close to describing it._ "After I came back to the dragon's mind, I took control. I saw him heading straight for the Varie and made him avoid a full frontal crash course. After figuring out how the uh… controls… work, I made it fly out and further away from you. Then something pulled me from the connection." She ended her explanation.

"That…was probably my fault." Merle bit her lip. "I found you in the library, standing at the window. The whole room was cold and it was like a snowstorm was raging inside. I tried to call you but you were lost in a daze. I wasn't sure what to do, then you screamed and I grabbed your arm to shake you and that's when you just fainted, I guess." Merle reached for Hitomi's arm and gently squeezed it. "I was **so** worried about you, Hitomi."

Darriah was the first to raise her hand from where it had been patiently resting on the table and summed Hitomi's statement up in her own words. "So what you are telling us is that you conquered the dragon's mind with your own, and forced it to do your bidding?"

Hitomi took a moment to consider the question. "I suppose you could say that's what I did. Yes." Her left eyeball throbbed in pain, and she reached up to rub it.

"Unbelievable." Kur shook his head in astonishment. "This explains why the dragon was so enraged in the first place. The sorcerer was controlling it. It attacked with a purpose. Maybe he saw Van."

Darriah grumbled. "The white dragon of Fanelia, dead in a dragon attack. This certainly would have gotten the attention of the allies off their backs for a while. But why then didn't they take a dragon and attack Basram?"

"Maybe, they don't know what dragons they are warping into," Hitomi answered after thinking on this for a moment. "Maybe their magic chooses at random. I'm at an advantage here. I can dowse and decide where and what to look for." 

Hitomi patted her flat hand on the table in thought. "That's it! I can look for another one. I can do this again and…" the throbbing pain in her head finally rendered her dizzy enough to make her head loll forward and she had to bring a hand to her forehead to support it again. 

"Hitomi." Van took the brief pause to interject. "Look at yourself. You are a mess. This isn't good for you. This…dive or whatever…it sounds like you could have died! It's taking something out of you... seems to be eating at you from the inside. I saw it yesterday, I saw it earlier, and I can still see it now."

Hitomi moved her fingers so she could meet his eyes with her own to ask an unspoken question. He held her gaze and she had her answer. Yes, he had brought her back to her room. Her mouth suddenly grew dry and her heart skipped a beat when she thought about what had transpired between them the last time they were alone.

What else was there? Did he regret what happened? Did she? No, she didn't. She had admittedly enjoyed it. Under different circumstances, she hoped that he would too. Or did he, anyway? She couldn't think anymore. The pounding in her head caused her vision to swim again and this time it meant lights out. Her head sank down towards the tabletop, but before it could hit the wood with a dull thump, Merle swiftly caught it with her hand. 

Everybody rose from their chairs and Van was quickly at Hitomi's side. He carefully scooped her up into his arms again and shot a very concerned looking Merle a warning glare as he straightened his back.

"Not a word…" He said quietly as he left the room with her limp form cradled protectively in his arms.

~~Zaibach~~

The short, plump sorcerer regarded his colleague with pity as he removed the electrodes from the man's temples. His mouth was agape, his eyes clouded and his pupils empty.

"Majesty. I looks as though… Languin has lost his mind." He explained at a loss for better words.

"What a shame, but I am sure you have learned from whatever his mistakes were and do better." She quipped impatiently.

The plump sorcerer nodded with a bit of hesitation. "Yes, your majesty."

 **Tbc…**

A/N: I really am excited about writing the next chapter. It's been on my mind since the story started.

In case anybody cares, here is a list of titles this story has so far been inspired by:

Stranger Things

Logan

Lord of the Rings

Archer FX

Life is Strange

Elder Scrolls – Skyrim

Game of Thrones

Star Wars

Men Who Stare at Goats


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I am almost not working anymore and just finished two classes before we move. Boy oh boy do I have all the time in the world right now. I don't even know what to do with myself.

Still curious what you folks use to read your stories on here. Laptop, tablet, phone? I'm reading so much on my phone right now it's not even funny…

~~Fanelia~~

Early in the morning, the king of Fanelia returned to his chambers. Clad in a dark green robe, he entered his private bedroom through the antechamber. He stopped across from the large mirror and regarded himself. He saw a man strong in body, seemingly resilient on the outside, but deeply scarred by war and wavering in his emotions on the inside. 

Two dark rubies bore into his soul from his reflection in the mirror. He chuckled darkly and rubbed his face with both hands. How was he going to fix this whole mess? Hitomi, the woman he hadn't been able to forget in over ten years, was so close now, but yet seemingly out of his reach. A barrier he had erected in his mind and forbidden himself to cross until she had so easily penetrated it the other night. 

Hitomi had gotten into his head and possessed him so easily. His resolve was starting to crumble. How long could he still keep this up? What was the point still, anyway? She was here, she supposedly couldn't return, and she was hell bent to dive right back into danger. Hell, she was already in the middle of it.

Perhaps he should have tried to destroy the pendant instead of clinging to it all these years. Who was he kidding? He would have never been able to forget her with the small piece of jewelry so close every day. The only time he took it off was when he bathed, afraid to damage or lose it. He tore the robe off and flung it at the mirror, partially covering it with the item of clothing. He was sick of seeing himself and stood now only dressed in a simple pair of short, white breeches. 

He stared at his bare hands, rough and calloused. The blood he saw was only imaginary, but he wouldn't ever be able to forget. How many lives had he taken when he was but fifteen winters old? Maybe it was better to just give up. Talk to her and apologize. Just how? He was proficient in intricately diplomatic conversations, but had he ever truly spoken to a woman? Had a meaningful conversation about feelings and not messed up? Not really. Usually, it was only physical, with the exception of his two closest female confidantes, Merle and Darriah. In the part of the mirror that wasn't covered, he saw the heavy curtains by the window sway in the breeze. The chambermaid must have forgotten to close it. 

When he was about to walk over and shut them himself, he was sidetracked by what was on his desk. There were several sealed message containers. Kur usually delivered them when the birds didn't come directly to Van. He broke the seal on each of them and read the short notes. One was from Millerna. A dragon attack early in the morning had completely destroyed one of their villages nearest to the Zaibach border in the northeast. Maybe it had been a bad idea after all to decommission all the melefs? 

When the curtains moved again he sighed and said out loud. "Why are you hiding from me today? I don't like it."

Merle sighed as she stepped out from behind the curtains."I'm sorry." Her big ears drooped slightly. She looked at her adopted brother but didn't move closer. His body was taut and strained. He was agitated, and rightly so. Normally she didn't sneak into his chambers.

Her feet were bare, which was strange for her in this season. She hated the cold. Then he noticed that she was hiding something behind her back. Van quickly moved to her and seized her arm. She twisted herself around with cat-like agility and was already perched on the windowsill when Van swung around to the side to try and grab her around the waist. Damn her speed. 

"I'm sorry, brother. I love you, but you are being impossible right now." She said and gracefully jumped from the window. Van leaned out to see her deftly scale the wall up to the next balcony. Merle briefly glanced back at him and shot him an apologetic smile from the elevated position before she disappeared inside.

A glance back to his desk confirmed what he should have seen earlier. The pendant was gone. Van dressed in his trademark black boots, breeches, and pulled on the stiff collar of his black jacket with determination. The weight of his sword tapping comfortably against his leg while he walked down the halls felt like a herald of trouble today. 

When he found Kur's room empty, his suspicions that the wyverns had come to a decision without him was confirmed. Together, they had enough power to override his veto on any matter. A measure he had agreed to himself when the foundations of new Fanelian government were laid out, but it hadn't been necessary so far. His next move was to hurry to the stables. Hopefully, it wasn't too late. 

Hitomi looked around nervously as she was standing near the bottom steps of the Varie. The hood of her thick coat was pulled deep into her face as if hiding. Merle and Kur were not too far away, briefing a small group of wind soldiers on the mission they were about to embark on. When she saw a black shape on a stallion, she urged them to look in that direction. 

"Oh no." Merle groaned as her ears flattened against her head. 

Kur straightened to his full height as Van dismounted the horse. The only thing moving was Kur's cloak in the wind. Van stared at the group, lips pressed into a tight line. Without a word, he walked over to Merle, pushed the reins of his horse into her hands and briefly pulled her forehead to touch his. A gesture he had used with her since they were little. Him not being the best with words, her having quite the temper of her own, they had agreed that this was to be the sign of a mutual understanding.

She let out a sigh of relief. He had forgiven her. Her beloved, stubborn brother seemed to do his best to control his volatile temper. His face looked so innocent for a short moment, like he was that little boy again, trying to calm her just by looking into her eyes. Van stepped around her, glanced at Kur and with a deep sigh, passed Hitomi to climb onto the ship.

Noticing that she was trying to avoid his face made him angry. Only the anger was directed at himself this time. Here they were, leaving without even informing him of the decision. **He** was really the one who should have been mad, but he was trying his best to remain calm.

Merle shrugged in Hitomi's direction apologetically. "I'm sorry, I thought we could be gone by the time he finds out. If he goes, I have to stay."

"But why?" Hitomi asked, a bit unsure how this plan was supposed to work out with a, thus far, very uncooperative king on board.

"Because," Merle spoke before she easily mounted the horse in a practiced movement, "there always has to be a Fanel in the palace."

Hitomi remained outside the bridge together with some of the soldiers as the Varie ascended and Van was a bit grateful for it. He had had no time to think about how to approach the Hitomi issue.

She stood near the front of the ship, the wind gracing her face as she began to dowse. When she found what she was looking for, Kur followed the direction of her outstretched arm and swung the wheel around. East it was.

Van watched her pace back and forth slowly while they were traveling the skies of Fanelia. Her long legs moved her across the main deck gracefully. There were a determination and sureness in her steps he couldn't help but admire. The warm hood of her coat prevented him from seeing her face. 

Hitomi's face was strained in concentration. She only hoped that the soldiers littering the deck didn't see her uncertainty. She furrowed her brow as she let her mind scout the immediate and further away surroundings. It was harder to find a dragon without knowing what exactly to look for. The other day she had imagined Van and Kur. This seemed to have given her abilities some kind of bait, but now, even with the aid of her grandmother's pendant around her neck, she felt a bit lost.

Tentatively, she lifted her hand and looked towards the captain of the ship through the glass as she motioned for him to go south. The borders of Fanelia were marked by tall mountain cliffs at the shores of the shallow sea, she remembered. They were drawing near that area now. Perhaps it was best not to stray too far from home in these uncertain times. She saw Van standing right next to Kur. His arms were crossed on his chest and he seemed to be brooding again.

Hitomi turned away and walked back to the side to lean on the wooden railing. She stood for a while, pondering what was best to do until she was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and instinctively stepped back when she caught Van's garnet eyes with her emerald ones.

What had he done? He mentally congratulated himself for conditioning the only woman who ever truly was able to burrow through all his defensive layers to shy away from him. He raised his hand again and took a step towards her. Like two magnets with the same ends repelling each other, she moved a step back.

Still keeping herself at a distance, Hitomi gripped the railing next to her tightly with one hand. "I'm sorry we stole the pendant. It… it was a gift, but I need it." Her words were sure, yet her eyes wouldn't meet his again. Confidence in her abilities, but not in him. He respected that.

Van was about to speak, but Hitomi suddenly whipped around to look due east. "I found one. A dragon. We have to go further east!" She pointed out towards the vast expanse that was the shallow sea.

Van turned and nodded to Kur, who again obliged by turning the wheel slightly to adjust the course. They were headed too far outside the borders of Fanelia for his taste, but he complied without a sign of protest. Hitomi watched as the wild waters slapped against the cliffs they were now passing over. She briefly allowed herself to admire a formation of boulders that stood out more from the jagged rock around it. A blowhole was pushing out a geyser of water every time a particularly large wave hit the rock wall around it.

Hitomi focused on the shapes in the distance that slowly became visible. She gripped the wood under her hands tightly as she saw three dragons, engaged in battle with another levi ship. _Oh no, they are in trouble! I don't know if I can control three._ She swallowed unnecessarily given the dryness in her mouth. Van made the decision first. He turned on his heel, pushed through the door onto the bridge and moved Kur aside to swing the helm around and aim directly at the other ship. If she was confident in herself, then he damn well should be too, and if this decision lead them straight into trouble, then he should be the one responsible for setting the course.

"We have to help." He stated and pushed one of the control levers on the side to heat up the levi stones to their full capacity. The ship reacted instantly, gaining speed quickly.

Hitomi walked inside after him and was surprised at what she saw on Van's face. He looked nervous and… scared? Then she realized why. He was scared for her. Her cheeks flushed as she covered one of his hands on the wheel with hers as if to reinforce his decision. Their gloves separated them, but the gesture wasn't lost. Van told himself that the redness on her cheeks surely was due to the warmth inside the bridge. Why was this wonderful woman so calm in the face of danger?

"Asturian colors!" Kur stated urgently as he pulled out a scope and looked through it with his good eye. He zoomed in on the ship and announced. "They seem to be holding up well considering they are outnumbered."

"The Crusade," Van said with a side glance at Hitomi. 

She let go of his hand instantly and joined Kur at the window. "Allen!" Immediately worried about their friend and his crew.

Van ran a quick hand through his wild hair at the mention of the Knight Caeli. They were gaining on the Crusade's position quickly, while the wind picked up with an unnatural urgency and snow started blowing around them from all sides. His mood darkened when he realized why. "Ice dragons! He bellowed so that the soldiers outside heard it too.

Everybody got ready to fight. The wind soldiers outside dropped their grey cloaks to allow for better movement as they pulled their metal bows from their backs. Kur did the same as he joined them outside.

Van Moved over to Hitomi before he left the bridge and put both of his hands on her shoulders as gently as the urgency of the situation allowed. "Please. At least… whatever you do, do it from in here. Stay in here."

All she could do was nod. They were now near enough to see the people on the other, much larger ship. The dragons were still engrossed in their attack. She saw Kaz' blonde hair, still looking similar to what he used to, and probably squinting as he was firing arrows as fast as he could. The snowstorm had gotten more intense now that they were so close. 

The frigid wind whipped at the sails and ropes and made it difficult to aim and fire arrows properly. Hitomi winced when she saw Van out in the cold, working on loading the big harpoon next to the mast. He was out there fighting, they all were because she said she could best the dragons. It was time to prove that their trust was well placed. 

Gaddes was at the helm the whole time. He strained to keep the Crusade in a strategically good angle to give them as much an advantage as he could. When he saw a small ship advancing, he let out a relieved and triumphant laugh. "Boss, we got company!" He announced through a metallic cone that amplified his voice to the outside.

Allen whipped his head around and a genuinely relieved expression formed on his face when he saw the Varie. His sister giggled excitedly when she saw it too. How had they known that somebody was in trouble? It didn't matter. They needed the support, no doubt.

When the wind soldiers of the Fanelian army joined their fight, it felt more balanced. The dragons still relentlessly aimed their attacks at the bigger ship, but the snow storms they unleashed now had to cover a greater area and it forced them to distribute their energy more.

Celena fired another arrow from her crossbow and giggled triumphantly as she saw it hit one of the dragons directly in the eye. Unbeknownst to everybody, far away in Zaibach, a plump sorcerer's eye exploded in its socket. She turned to see her brother briefly nod at her. The years had been most kind to him. He now carried his hair twisted into a tight bun on top of his head. A full beard covered his face, and he looked so much more mature. The war had changed not only her but him too. 

Maybe this time, after the battle was over, she could finally convince the stubborn Fanelian king on the other ship to let her steal him away for some time. He had so far successfully avoided any and all of her advances. No doubt, her brother had something to do with it. The new uniforms of the Knights Caeli he now wore had done well to scare away the one or other suitor. In case her strange, outgoing personality hadn't already done the same, that was.

Celena Shezar was certainly an odd young lady. She dodged behind her warm cloak as the dragon let loose another stream of ice and snow in their direction. Dressed like a man most of the time, in tight breeches and armed to the boot, she was definitely not what most young men expected from a noble lady her age. Some had been intrigued by her anyway. Just not the one man she hoped for.

Oh, the strange looks she had earned from Redeen, Ort, and Pyle. They had elbowed each other, snickering soundly when she had passed them in the hallways of Fort Castelo. Oh, what a beautiful red Ort's blood had been on the fabric of her dress after she elbowed him swiftly in the nose in return. She thought the ladylike appearance would please the visiting Fanelian king. She was a bit shy around him that day, four months ago when he came by on the way to Palas to meet with the allies. That same night, she had ripped the dress and burned it after Van's reaction to her appearance was anything but what she had expected. A raised eyebrow and a forced smile with a stifled snort were all he had granted her in passing when he saw her in the pink ruffles. 

Her brother was the only one who had been able to calm her that night. He was always there to protect her, always close after the war. He had refused to enroll her in one of the fancy boarding schools in Palas. Nothing was going to separate them again so easily. Another arrow fired from her crossbow, narrowly missing the dragon's head this time. She swore loudly and was glad Allen was so engaged in the fight that he didn't have a moment to spare and scold her for it. Living with a bunch of men in a Fort was no excuse for bad behavior. 

A big grin formed on Hitomi's beautiful face. She was so much stronger now with the combined help of the pendant and the ring. She had easily been able to disengage one of the attacking dragons from the Crusade. A stern command sent it due north, towards the borders of Zaibach. _Let's see how they like a taste of angry dragon._

Unbeknownst to all of them, the blowhole behind them had stopped its rhythmic pulse of sprouting water as the boulders around it rumbled soundly. Van aimed another metal arrow at one of the ice beast closest to the Varie and it lodged itself into its soft belly. Just like the land dragon he harmed before, this one had a small trickle of its liquid fire sprouting from the fresh wound.

He was suddenly distracted from the process of loading another arrow when Hitomi came out of what little protection the Varie's command deck could offer, in case one of the beasts could manage to directly aim a full attack at it. She walked past him, intently focused on the beast he had just harmed.

"A sorcerer is in there." She explained in a monotone voice as she stared at the beast's remaining eye. "The tone of her voice sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing whatsoever to do with the frigid temperatures around them.

This was the first time she was able to divide her consciousness between the other plane of existence and the real world. Hitomi needed to be closer to the beast. A closer connection would give her an advantage. She was sure of it. With determined steps, she neared the front of the ship. The dragon was mostly in her hands, but this sorcerer was more cunning despite his eye injury. Perhaps he had been able to learn from his colleague's mistakes? Fair enough.

She wrapped her hand around the rope that spanned between the front rail of the ship and the vertical mast further back, and pulled herself up to stand on the wooden rail. The hood of her coat was torn off her head as an icy gust of wind and snow shot forth from the dragon. A weak attack coaxed forth by the sorcerer. She chuckled under her breath. Nothing was going to stop her. Growing confidence made her chest swell.

Van was about to run over to her side when one of the soldiers alerted them. "Another dragon!" The young man pointed into the distance towards the shores. Van saw it instantly. A gigantic rock formation was gliding into the waters. Just it wasn't a rock formation. It was a water behemoth. Dragons native to water, with long, slithering bodies and eight legs fitted with webs between their claws. They couldn't fly, but their attacks were no less dangerous. This one seemed to have been resting near the shores and the noise from the battle must have roused it from its slumber.

The Varie's weapon was useless against it, being limited to a 180-degree attack range on the topside of the ship. He let go of it and moved to the soldier closest to him. With a quick move, he took the man's crossbow and went towards the back. He aimed towards the waters and started shooting the solid, metal-tipped arrows at it. 

Little good did it. He needed something bigger. The crossbow was useless. He quickly turned to see what other weapons Merle and Kur had stored on the ship this morning and briefly wished for Darriah. Now more than ever he cursed his capable samurai general's fear of flying. To bring her onto a levi ship had required them to seek the aid of Culix and his tranquilizing medications more often than not. He had never wanted for her arsenal of weapons so badly before. Clearly, they had not planned for this mission to get so out of hand. 

He saw a handful of spears nearby and hurried to take hold of one. One hand stretched out to aim, he rested the one gripping the weapon on his shoulder. He was not as proficient at throwing spears, but what choice did he have? He aimed and as if the invisible hands of Balgus had guided him, the spear lodged itself between the beast's scales. It briefly jerked in pain but then continued to slither towards their location through the icy waters. Its movements were throwing small pieces of ice floe floating on the water from side to side.

Hitomi nudged her feet forward a bit but instantly slipped when the stiff sole of her boot hit the wet wood advancing from the front of the ship. _You can do this!_ She told herself. _This is what you were meant to do._ She used the side of one boot to toe off the other and repeated the process on the second one. She now had better footing than with the stiff material underneath her feet.

Van's eyes widened in shock when he saw where Hitomi now was. What in the name of Escaflowne's scaly hide was she doing walking out onto the bowsprit towards the dragon? Was she insane?! He dropped the second spear he was already holding and pushed two of the soldiers aside on his way to the front. Why had nobody stopped her? He scolded himself for letting her out of his sight this long after he had noticed her walking towards the front.

Allen narrowed his eyes to finally see who the strange person on the deck of the Varie was. The insane individual was balancing on the ship's bowsprit as if he were a member of the crews that toured Gaea and entertained crowds with their neck-breaking performances. But it wasn't a he. It was a she. She had strangely familiar hair and an even more familiar face. "Hitomi." He gasped and was suddenly knocked off his feet by a particularly strong gust of snow from the dragon's wide open mouth. His face burned terribly as he turned to avoid more of the assault. The dragon's fire clung to his beard and he furiously wiped at it with his sleeve to put it out. 

Hitomi was almost there. Her one hand stretched out in front of herself, the other one on the side to help her keep balance, she moved further and further to the front. When her hand finally touched the side of the dragon's large nostril, it was as if time slowed to a crawl and several things happened at once.

Celena witnessed her brother's fall and immediately covered for him. One of the dragons had taken his leave a while ago and she was still perplexed as to why. The other of the remaining two had diverted its attention towards the Varie. It shouldn't be a problem to fight the remaining one. As if on cue, her arrow embedded itself in the dragon's neck and effectively cut off the already dying flames it was aiming at her brother. 

Down below both ships, the water dragon greedily inhaled water through large nostrils until its churning membranes were full. It stopped abruptly beneath the commotion that had woken it and released a geyser of the icy water straight up through its blowhole. The water sheared off the bottom of both ships and rocked them violently. The remaining water ascended up higher and turned to hail which violently rained onto the decks of both ships. 

It only took a moment for Hitomi to win over the dragon due to the close connection she was able to establish. This one short moment of seemingly slowed time had been enough to knock the sorcerer out of his link. She shoved the dragon away with a wave of her hand that must have looked laughable outside of the mind plane. When she opened her eyes, she had no time to see it disappear as she noticed that she was falling to the side like a tree that had just been felled.

One foot still on the thick, wooden spear extending from the font of the ship, she managed to turn as she slowly plummeted over its left side. All she could see was Van's frantic face, pushing through the group of soldiers shooting their arrows at something down below the other side of the ship. Then, she weirdly noticed how small the Varie's shape looked from down below when comparing it to that of the crusade. She saw her own hand stretch out above herself as if trying to grasp one of them.

Van shouted Hitomi's name when he saw her fall, as if in slow motion. He didn't need to think about it. Not even a second. Tearing at the front of his black jacket, he ripped it open while he ran towards the front of the ship in a mad dash. Pellets of frozen water tore at his skin as he threw his jacket and shirt off, and himself over the side at the front of the ship.

It hurt every time he willed his wings to sprout, but this time he didn't notice. All he noticed was the terrified look on Hitomi's face when her body hit the water. Her head missed a small piece of ice floe by the width of a hand. He had been too slow to catch her. **_NO!_** He beat his wings as forcefully as he was able to.

Perhaps, he should have listened to Merle when she advised him to practice more over the past years. Perhaps he shouldn't have gotten so mad at her every time she mentioned it to him. Perhaps now wasn't the right time to be angry about it again. He took a deep breath before diving into the waters. The frigid grip of ice constricted his chest immediately but he ignored it as well as he could. Hitomi's body was sinking rapidly under him, and he focused on what strength he had available at these low temperatures. Van had never tried to use his wings under water before, but as it was, they were most useful in propelling him forward, down towards Hitomi's outstretched hand. 

Hitomi's thoughts slowed when she saw the surface of the water disappear further and further away above her. Then, something else hit the water. A stream of bubbles escaped her mouth instead of Van's name. _No! Dumb!_ Her cold brain snapped.

Finally, his hand closed around the wrist of her outstretched hand. He pulled on it and tried to beat his wings, but he was now just as incapacitated by the low temperature of the water as Hitomi. It looked like they didn't fully obey him anymore. The frigid current was pulling relentlessly against them. When she saw a gigantic dragon the shape of a snake, but with eight legs and webbed toes, her eyes widened in fear.

Van didn't pay it any mind. He was pulling her closer, gripping the front of her coat with one hand. Then his other hand, the one holding her wrist, joined the other on her coat and began to pull on it. It took Hitomi only a split second to realize why he was trying to remove her coat. The water sodden thing was pulling her down. She tried to help with her frozen hands clumsily fumbling the buttons, but Van made short work of it by tearing it until the buttons snapped off. They spilled out around them through the water lazily as the coat slipped off her, only to reveal the billowing fabrics of her cream-colored kimono dress. 

Then, something else caught her eye. The merpeople had come out of nowhere. How tragic that she just now saw them for the first time, just before they were both going to drown. If they didn't freeze to death first, that was. She was running out of air fast. What was the point in hanging on anyway? They were too far down to make it back up in time.

Van's face twisted in frustration when Hitomi's dress spilled out around them. More damn fabric. He reached for the obi around her waist and tore at it furiously. It opened and slid off her shoulders easily. Under different circumstances, he certainly would have found the act exciting. 

There was at least a dozen of the merpeople, and they seemed to be having the upper hand against the creature. With spears and tridents, they fought it relentlessly. Hitomi noticed one of them, a female with a tail the color of a sapphire, break away from the group and swim towards them. She could feel Van's arms circle around her waist loosely where the thin undershirt and shorts left a gap. He was right next to her, keeping her close, but his attention was on the mermaid, while his free hand was pointing at Hitomi. 

_She's so beautiful._ Hitomi thought and almost felt like she was imagining it when the ethereal creature with the long, wavy, teal hair gripped her face with both hands and pressed her lips tightly against hers. The mermaid was emanating an unusual but very welcome heat. It warmed the water around them and Hitomi from the inside, but not only that, she was breathing new life into her lungs.

When the mermaid released her, she grinned at Hitomi and winked. Then she diverted her attention to Van, not a moment too late as his grip on her waist had grown very limp. Hitomi watched her reach for him in the same way. Her hands were on the side of his head as her lips sealed over his. She filled his lungs with much-needed air too. Then, a moment too long, the beautiful mermaid lingered. Her Full breasts, covered only with star-shaped pieces of metal across the nipples, pressed into Van's well-defined chest. 

Was the cheeky think **kissing** him? For other purposes than air? An angel and a mermaid locked in a kiss. It was a phantasmagorical scene she couldn't have imagined seeing even in the most whimsical of movies. In the same moment, Van's grip around her waist tightened and she felt his fingers spread across the side of her ribs. His other hand was on the mermaid's arm, locking them in an absurdly intimate triangle, considering their current situation. Before she knew it, he pushed the creature away. The teal haired beauty briefly winked at them both and was gone with a few strong beats of her tail.

Apparently warm enough again now, Van was able to regain control of his wings. Like a soggy pillow, they had been pulling them down too, but their powerful movements finally pushed them upwards. He hugged her to himself tightly now with both arms as they ascended quickly. 

They broke the surface of the water and fresh air had never felt so good in Hitomi's lungs. She watched the Crusade touch down in the water close by in the same moment she noticed that Van had dissolved his wings. The water around them was covered in feathers and she looked at them floating past her as they swam to the ladder the crew had lowered for them.

When Hitomi stumbled onto the deck, a woman with short, very blonde hair immediately rushed over and draped a cloak across her shoulders. Just in time, because the mermaid's warmth was quickly wearing off outside the water. "Celena?" Hitomi mumbled. The young woman nodded and smiled at her.

Celena's smile turned into an outright beam when she saw the person behind Hitomi. " Van!" She gushed and was immediately at his side, trying to fuss over his dripping form. He immediately busied himself by dumping water out of his boots in an attempt to avoid her attention. 

"Hitomi are you alright? Let's get both of you inside. You are going to catch your death." A familiar, soft voice said next to her.

She turned her head and her mouth went slightly agape. Allen had changed so much in all these years. He was a lot more mature looking; now sporting a beard that seemed like it had ice-crusted in it here and there. His hair was still long, but he now wore it in a tight bun on top of his head. The once frilly uniform was gone and replaced with a different one that had no puffs whatsoever. It was buckled and armored in most places, the only thing still being the same, its blue color. 

Relieved to see him, she threw her arms around him. "Allen. I'm so glad to see you!" She hugged him tightly, not really caring about what she was wearing and not wearing under the cloak.

He chuckled low in his chest and reciprocated her hug affectionately. When Hitomi released him and took a few steps back, she bumped into someone. Thinking it to be Van, she turned to reach for his arm. But when her gaze followed her movements, she saw that it wasn't him. Instead, she came face to face with the most rugged man she had ever seen.

She took a step to the side immediately to get away from him. His wet hair was long and either very curly or just impossibly tangled. It was hard to tell. He, too, had a beard and the color of both hair and beard was an undetermined shade of blueish grey. The only thing he wore was a tight pair of brown, soggy breeches which left Hitomi to see the silvery scales that covered his upper arms, the sides of his chest, and what she could see of his legs and webbed toes.

"Gajeel." Allen greeted him with a nod as they took each other's wrists in a firm handshake.

The man was just as wet as them. He had obviously followed them out of the water. So this was why Van didn't seem to be worried at all about the dragon near them. This was why he was already pointing at Hitomi when the mermaid was headed their way. He knew these creatures and what they could do, and the brawny half merman was his fourth samurai general.

Hitomi moved closer to the fire in Celena's room on the crusade. She wiggled her toes and reveled in the warmth. They were headed to Palas, as Allen had convinced Van that a conversation with Millerna and Dryden was necessary after what he had learned about Hitomi's new powers.

She removed the energist ring from her finger and inspected it. It had turned into a dull, grey rock and she had only noticed it after they had scurried both Van and her off to dry themselves and find some clothes for them. Kur was on his way back to Fanelia with the Varie, not before tossing Van's jacket across the short gap between the levi ships. He and that stiff, black item of clothing seemed to be inseparable.

However, it was hard to deny that he looked impossibly attractive in it. Especially when he donned it earlier, still outside and without a shirt underneath. It had made him look like the protagonist of one of Yukari's trashy romance novels. She sighed as she got up and grimaced at the tightness of her clothing.

Celena was a good deal shorter and daintier than her, so she had had to squeeze into the woman's largest pair of brown, scratchy pants and a white shirt that pinched her armpits. Luckily, she allowed Hitomi to keep the cloak. She pulled it around herself to cover up before leaving the room. When she reached the bridge and found everybody, they were already coming up on the Palas levi ship docks.

Van was back in a full set of black clothing and Hitomi inwardly rolled her eyes at the possibility of an endless supply of black breeches and shirts pulled out of thin air. Allen was next to him and Gajeel's size towered over both men as they stood next to each other. Now having donned a pair of boots and a heavy, dark coat he looked even more intimidating.

She had only met him briefly after climbing onto the ship. He had gruffly shaken her hand and said something about being lucky that one of his nieces saw them through all the commotion. Van had looked very uncomfortable at that moment. 

The reunion with Millerna and Dryden was joyous. Both women hugged tightly, and even Dryden seemed to be genuinely delighted to see her, every hint of usual mischief gone from his bearded face for the moment he greeted her. In the years Hitomi was gone, the king and queen had produced two heirs. Six-year-old twin boys by the name of Arek and Selan, both with brown hair and periwinkle eyes. How the inheritance of the throne was going to be decided, Hitomi didn't know. 

Millerna explained that several ships, including the Crusade, had been tasked with patrolling the skies of Asturia in search of any dragon activity. Sharing a border with Zaibach was cause for constant concern in these troubled times.

They got together and recounted the events of this morning before being invited to stay at the palace for the night. The trip back to Fanelia would only last a day on the Crusade, but everybody appreciated the chance for some rest. Hitomi inspected the ring again as she sat on the bed. When she had shown everybody the dull energist, nobody knew what it meant. Drag energists weren't known to turn into solid rock for any reason.

The next morning, she was provided new clothes and sighed heavily at the prospect of having to spend the day in the frilly Asturian monstrosity. Clearly, Fashion was very different here. The sleek fabric felt alien on her skin and it made her long for her Earth clothes or one of the comfortable Fanelian kimono dresses. Van raised an eyebrow when he saw her join them at the ramp of the crusade, but he didn't say anything. 

He thought she looked beautiful regardless of what she wore, but he preferred seeing her in the clothing of his home country. The Asturian dress overpowered Hitomi's natural beauty, besides, it couldn't possibly be practical or comfortable for any woman to be laced into such a tight corset.

They didn't speak on the way home. Mostly because neither of them knew what exactly to say. 'Thanks for saving my life again, Van. So how exactly does one get with a mermaid?' Sounded very lame in Hitomi's head. He seemed like he was thinking about approaching her when she caught him looking a few times in between discussions with Allen and Gajeel. She stood on the other side of the observation deck, watching Gaddess down below at the wheel.

The crew had been very excited to see her back, and most grateful for the help of Van and his men. If they hadn't shown up, things would have probably not ended up in their favor. She pulled at the tight, high neckline of her Asturian dress and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were passing over the high mountain ridges surrounding the capital of Fanelia.

She had expected that Allen and his crew would have to leave again, but for them to depart immediately made her sadder than she wanted to admit. The ship was too large to land at the small field by the palace, so a platform was lowered to deliver them safely to the ground where they were greeted by Merle and a small entourage of her soldiers. 

She ran over to hug all of them tightly, even Gajeel, to his dismay. He muttered something unintelligible about cat hair, needing a drink and marched off, soon disappearing into the distance, likely on the way to a tavern. 

When they arrived at the palace, Hitomi was most glad to exchange the pink Asturian nightmare for another kimono dress. She was a bit sad that the one she favored most, the cream one, was now most likely at the bottom of the shallow sea. She sighed quietly as she picked a different one instead, but relief soon was visible on her face when she slipped into the comforts of its folds.

She wandered down to the kitchen and took her dinner alone. The king and lady Merle had eaten fairly quickly earlier and were headed to the rooftop to spar, so Lerna told her. "Interesting." Hitomi thought and decided to investigate. She had not seen Merle fight and could only imagine what speed and grace the Neko possessed.

Van was glad to be able to swing his sword through the air again. Although a good shot with a bow and apparently more decent at throwing a spear that he thought, this was still his preferred mode of battle. It was snowing a bit, but neither Merle nor him were cold in their various states of dress. Merle was clad in her tight training bodysuit and tall boots, fashioned after what she remembered Naria and Eriya's had looked like back in the day. 

Van still preferred his regular breeches to spar in, but he had removed the clothing on his upper body in favor of a long gauntlet covering his entire left arm. It was attached to him with a harness that ran across his chest and around his waist. A similar piece of armor had served him well during his rite of dragon slaying. The shield that was hidden in the compartment on the lower arm had been the brainchild of Balgus.

Hitomi watched them from the doorway. They looked beautiful, graceful, and deadly together. Neither of them seemed to hold back much as they administered blow after blow to each other, Van with his razor-sharp sword and Merle with two daggers. The bout was more balanced than anybody would expect from the unequal looking pair. However, what Van possessed in strength and reach due to his size and long sword, Merle made up in speed and agility. She dodged many of his blows with quick sidesteps or jumps, and Van was panting from exertion as was obvious due to the condensation of his breath in the cold air. 

At some point, Merle managed to make Van lose his footing and he ended up on his back. She lunged at him with both daggers, which he dodged by pushing the flat side of his sword against her wrists. He quickly pulled his leg up close to his chest and added his boot. The combined push from his arms and legs propelled Merle backward violently. Hitomi heard her laugh loudly as she landed gracefully as a cat would, after turning her fall into a backflip. 

That's when Merle caught her eyes. The Neko sheathed her daggers on the sides of her thighs and nodded towards Van who was getting to his feet. "I win today."

"Yeah fine." He grumbled.

"I'm off to make my evening rounds, then." She spoke to him seemingly in a bit of a hurry and walked over to the edge of the flat rooftop. Without a second thought, she stepped over it and disappeared. Sometimes, his sister loved to show off just how easily she could match his skills in both battles and disappearing when the need arose. 

"How long have you been watching?" Van asked, his back still facing Hitomi.

"I… Just a short while," Hitomi replied, only mildly surprised that he knew she was there. She stepped out from the doorway and brought her hands around herself to rub her arms. Goosebumps covered the length of them when the melted snowflakes started to dot her skin. 

Van rotated the sword hilt in his hand as he was still trying to gather his wits. The weight of the weapon was comforting in many ways, as it had always been. He was afraid to speak, scared that anything he would say could potentially hurt her again. No more. He wanted no part in causing her any more pain.

Hitomi crossed half of the distance between them with timid steps. Why wasn't he looking at her? She thought yesterday's events could have at the very least brought them to comfortable speaking terms when left alone. The painful jab in her gut made tears well up in her wide open eyes. She stifled a quiet sob.

Van spun around and finally faced her. The royal sword clanked loudly when it hit the ground. He dropped his most prized possession without care when he realized something. The woman he loved stood in front of him, tears pooling in her emerald eyes, and it was his fault alone.

He took a few quick steps and crushed her tightly against himself, careless about the slick mixture of melted snow and sweat dripping off his upper body. Hitomi had released the tight hug on herself, her arms now hanging at her sides as he gently rubbed small, comforting circles across her back and let the fingers of his other hand wander through her short cropped hair. 

"…Hitomi." Van quietly said. "I'm… I… apologize."

"For what exactly?" She sobbed, fighting to not let the angry tears spill.

"Everything." He strained to say the word. He wanted to say so much more, but he was afraid it would come out unintentionally bad, just like every single time when he opened his mouth around her. "For being a complete fool. For cutting the link. For pushing you away. For hurting you. For never seeking you out in… in ten damn years. For rejecting your help when you offered it freely." He added statement after statement in a clumsy fashion as he continued to hold her tightly.

When Hitomi didn't respond, Van used both of his hands to raise her head so he could look at her and she had no way of avoiding his gaze. Her face was flushed with heated emotions. The fabric of his black leather gloves suddenly seemed grotesquely wrong in contrast with the soft skin of her face. He released her and quickly pulled them off, only to place his hands back into their original position.

Her tears were flowing freely now and he used his rough thumbs to wipe them from her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. " He lowered his face and kissed her forehead, her brow, her nose, her cheeks, the side of her jaw, and back up to her temple. He moved slowly, emphasizing each gentle kiss of his warm lips with a soft apology.

When Van leaned back to look at her again, her eyes were closed. As Hitomi slowly opened them, she moved her hands to cover his. He was afraid she would pry them off, afraid that he was too late. Relief washed over him when he realized that she didn't. Instead, her hands lingered over his for a moment before she reached for his head and entangled her fingers in the damp hair on the back of his head.

The sweat and snow on his chest had slowly cooled him down in the night air, but this all changed when Hitomi got on her tiptoes and pulled his head back to hers again to bring her lips against his. Van responded immediately. His hands released her face and wound themselves around her waist, bunching the fabric of her dress to press her closely against him. The tang of tears still lingered on her, but his lips worked over her slick mouth urgently and soon she tasted of nothing less than pure sweetness. 

He groaned as her fingers dug into the back of his head and one of her hands wandered down to his shoulder to squeeze it tightly. He ached to feel more of her. Their tongues entwined hotly as her mouth parted and Van pulled her against him as tightly as he could, almost lifting her off her feet.

Hitomi tore away for a moment, only to catch her breath, and was a bit disappointed when he set her back down. His chest was rising and falling rapidly under shallow breaths and his eyes were clouded with passion. "The hardest thing I have ever done was to walk away still madly in love with you." He breathed and placed his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "I love you, Hitomi. I always have, I never stopped, and I always will."

She almost started crying all over again but then, instead, a big smile spread on her face. She ran her hands down to rest on the well-defined muscles of his chest. He was wet with sweat and melted snow, but she didn't care about that. All she cared about was to feel his strong, slightly erratic heartbeat under the palm of her right hand. She took comfort in the muffled thumps that drummed against her hand. "I love you, Van. I always have, I never stopped, and I always will." She repeated his words almost in a whisper. Just this time, she couldn't have imagined him to say anything more perfect. 

The next few days kept them apart more than Hitomi had anticipated. More reports of frequent dragon attacks arrived at the palace and required several strategic discussions amongst the wyverns and the vassals. The people of Fanelia were scared. Even being well versed in fighting, the population was hard pressed to be confident against dragons.

In the little time they had together, it turned out that despite their undeniably strong feelings for each other, Van was reluctant to give in to his desires to ravish Hitomi thoroughly. His protective notions for her had twisted themselves into a strong hesitation to see her harmed again, and that included keeping his own lust for her at bay. He didn't want to treat her like the others. She was far too precious to him to be taken carelessly and casually.

During this time, it didn't help that Hitomi noticed something in particular that clouded her head with worry. The ring, just as useless as it now looked, didn't work anymore. All she could do was get glimpses of the future, just like before she had it. No definite visions and no mind links.

 **Tbc…**

A/N: Ok but how hot was Jason Momoa as Aquaman? For serious. I was going to just make Gajeel an ancient looking Triton kinda guy but after seeing JLA I couldn't resist. And whaaat? Van and a mermaid? I could have gone into detail about how that came to be but I think that would stray too far from the main story, although I have a rough idea of why/how. 

Celena was unintentional. Completely unintentional! She was going to get a cameo but butted her way in some more quite forcefully. Girl's got some personality on her.

Also, yes I did a hipster Allen. Deal with it. I hate Allen with a passion but I'm doing my best to not make him the ass. 

I'm not sure what color Millerna's eyes are. Looked at some pictures to refresh my memory but couldn't tell. They seem lavender or periwinkle.

At some point, while I wrote this Pandora glitched out and played "I would Die 4 U" by Prince. It may or may not have contributed to the tone of this chapter at a certain point. 

Add the A-Team to the list of things I've borrowed ideas from. If you don't know why then that prob means I'm too old to be here. 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here's some background on the baddies, as well as a bit of V/H fluff before shit gets serious. Well ok, that's an understatement. I got carried away and it's pretty **citrusy** at some point. Sorry, not sorry. **You have been warned!** For the gentle souls among you, I will insert some **ooo** so you can skip that part in case reading such things offends you. Don't complain later on if you choose to disregard this or never read my notes.

~~Zaibach~~

"Leave us!" Empress Zita's booming voice reverberated off the polished metal walls of the throne room. The courtiers scurried to follow the gold-clad woman's demand and soon, she was alone with general Gain and the individual he had brought before her. 

"Majesty." He addressed her. "The sorcerers were able to capture one of the Basram energist engineers during a direct attack on their laboratories. We have been very successful since the mishap at the shallow sea.

General Gain pulled the man closer to the throne by his arm and leaned heavily on the cane by his side. The engineer followed with his head held high. Zita descended the throne slowly, releasing her wide cloak to let it fall on the stairs and reveal the heavy fabrics of her golden dress and metal corset boning underneath.

The man bound by chains, tall and seemingly unyielding, regarded her with disdain. His pale face, although tired and unshaven, still reflected his high intelligence.

She unlatched the clasps on her iron corset and groaned in relief as her midsection now slumped slightly under the weight of her own upper body. Not an ounce of weakness was to be shown in front of the courtiers. 'Fashion', they had called it when she had started to wear the corset and the antique looking spectacles. Symbols of dedication and wisdom befitting her role as the Zaibach Empress. She had been designed to bring this country back to its former glory, and eventually to rule all of Gaea. She couldn't afford to be regarded as imperfect.

Truthfully, she was a prisoner in her own body. A test tube human without a mother or a father, magically engineered to come to life and supposedly perfect. She snorted in a much too undignified way at the thought of this. Her body was decaying, the magic draining from it slowly and nobody but her and the high council of sorcerers knew it. She had to remain strong.

Decaying magic was a process not even the best of her sorcerers could prevent. She stepped up close to both men and unbuttoned the dress on the side of her upper body, pulling it down to reveal her bare midsection between the skirts and bustier.

The engineer gasped when he saw the decomposing flesh. Small amounts of rotten magic were oozing near her ribs and all around to her spine where the bones were slowly being eaten away and too weak to hold her upright. It caused her constant pain.

"You have the ability to mend me. I know it." She said almost in a whisper, her tawny eyes narrowed as she focused on him. "War machines are not the only thing Basram has been working on. You have been experimenting with the use of your technology on humans!"

The man snarled. "We are not far enough advanced yet to replace human tissue or limbs and bone." He straightened up to his full height.

Zita got up in the man's face, close enough for him to react by concaving his body away from hers as the magic from her torso singed the folds of his cloak where she touched it. "Is that so? Then who else could?" She hissed.

"The Ispano…perhaps." He gulped, finally showing the fear he felt on the inside. Having rotting magic so near made his body shake with dread.

The Empress grinned at Gain and he immediately said. "Nobody knows how to call them, but we can trace the energy signatures of their mother ship if it appears somewhere." 

Zita smiled, obviously pleased to know this. "Discard him. He is of no more use to us." She spat and stepped away.

"Yes, majesty." Gain nodded and pulled out a dagger. He unceremoniously rammed it into the man's back and twisted it painfully.

The engineer, not prepared for his sudden and untimely death, suffocated on his own blood with wide eyes.

"He lied about the status of their experiments. I know it." She growled. "He got what he deserved for denying it."

~~Fanelia~~

Hitomi walked through the hallways of the palace with more confidence now. Ever since the stubborn king and she were on the same terms about their feelings, she felt so much more at home. Today, however, she had remembered something else to worry about. 

_I just have to do it, although I don't fully know what it means. Kur has the right to know._

She found the falcon tower next to the palace and ascended its winding stairway to the top. Just as expected, Kur was with his birds at this time of the day. The top of the tower was open but covered with a small roof supported by wooden beams. Kur's arm was outstretched to catch one of the majestic animals coming back from a flight. 

"Excuse me." Hitomi made her presence known. Several other birds were perched on wooden pedestals and in open cages.

He turned and bowed his head in greeting. "My lady. To what do I owe the honor of seeing you here?"

 _Oh, the formalities_. She wondered if she would ever get used to it, as she moved closer.

"Your falcons are beautiful." She said as she looked the bird up and down. The animal was perched on Kur's hand and his huge talons dug into the thick fabric of a brown leather glove. His feathers were various shades of brown.

"This here," Kur said and ran his free hand down the animal's back affectionately, "is Hudson. He is a hawk."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hitomi apologized. 

"Not to worry. It is an easy mistake to make. A hawk is larger than a falcon and grabs its prey with the talons, while a falcon hunts with its beak." He explained.

"I had no idea." She admitted as the bird's black eyes seemed to watch her with curiosity.

"Hudson joined me when I left my… home. He has been with me ever since." Kur stroked the bird's back once again before walking to the ledge of the castle tower and throwing him back into the air. "Now, how can I be of assistance?"

Hitomi cleared her throat. " Okay… so the reason I'm here is that I need to tell you something that I saw. It happened the day you and I were at the lake." 

He turned and looked at her."Yes?" Although his brown, shaggy hair covered most of his face, the curiosity was easy to see.

 _What is it with Van and him and the permanently messy hair?_

Hitomi cleared her throat again in an attempt to find a good starting point. Somehow, the words she had prepared beforehand were gone.

"I guess there's not really an ideal way to say this. I saw you running up a long, winding flight of stairs. It looked like a tower. Not this one though… somewhere else. The stone and everything inside looked entirely different. At the top of the tower, you barged through a door….a door that wasn't locked."

His eyebrows rose slightly and the eyepatch moved with it, but he didn't interrupt her.

"Then…I don't know… the next thing I saw was you holding a baby with….blood everywhere." Hitomi finished, wringing her hands in front of herself nervously.

Kur stood a moment, mouth slightly open as if stunned into silence.

"Oh…and you were crying. Crying from sadness and…anger." She added uncomfortably. "I don't know what to make of it. I'm sorry." She looked at him, lips pressed together tightly.

He stood as still as a statue while looking at Hitomi or rather looking through her. His jaw was moving slowly as if he was grinding his teeth in thought. 

"Kur?" Hitomi asked carefully. "What does it mean? Do you know?"

His eye finally focused on her again and he quietly said. "I… I think I know. It means… I must go. Thank you for this." He said as he brushed past her as politely as possible.

"Wait…this… just so you know, I have no idea when this will happen. It may be soon, or not for a long time! Anything you do might change it." She quickly told him.

"I do hope you are right, lady Hitomi." He said darkly as he disappeared down the stairs.

When he was gone, Hitomi threw her hands up in frustration. "Brooding men with shaggy hair! It must be a royal thing." As if to confirm her statement, one of the birds off to the side let out a high pitched cry before it busied itself again with the upkeep of its feathers.

A short while later, Hitomi was taking her time in the bath grotto. She sat leaning against the edge of the pool, listening to her music. After the dragon incident, she had made it a habit of taking it with her. Whenever there was nobody else, like this evening, she even sang along to a few songs. 

Just as she was in the middle of such a song, the battery finally died. _Oh no. Well… it was only a matter of time. I'm probably lucky it lasted this long._ She wrinkled her lips sadly and removed the earplugs. The song was still fresh on her mind, so she picked up the verse again and continued to sing it.

Her voice was echoing off the walls more loudly than she had realized before. "Wow…I hope nobody heard me earlier." She quietly said to herself.

"Wow."

'Wow.'

'…ow.' Her voice echoed back to her from the walls. It made her think.

" **Wow.** "

'Wow.'

'Wow.'

'…ow.' She repeated it more loudly and the echo came back stronger. Something clicked in her head.

 _That's… that's it! That's_ ** _it!_** She quickly exited the pool and dressed. _Why haven't I thought of this before?!_

She walked through the hallways at a fast pace. _Alright, this big meeting with all the vassals should be over. Van is probably in his study.  
_

When she turned the corner of the long hallway that lead to the royal wing, she saw both Van and Kur stand by the open door. Van's hand was on Kur's shoulder and he nodded. "You have my permission to go."

Kur nodded with a relieved expression and was about to turn, but then Van added. "Ask Gajeel to come. He can provide protection when you cross the shallow sea."

With another short nod, she heard Kur say, "I will make my preparations and leave tomorrow morning." With that, he was off to the side and disappeared into the dark hallway around the other corner, his cloak trailing behind him. 

Van turned his head when he saw Hitomi approach and one corner of his mouth quirked up, all worries forgotten for the moment. Likewise, Hitomi slowed her pace when the sight of him made her heart flutter a bit. He was in black breeches, but instead of the usual matching jacket, he wore a dark blue shirt with a tight looking, high collar and a deep red haori coat with gold trimming. 

She had never seen him in anything but black. Having him stand before her in what she thought was probably his more official clothing, was entirely new to her. "Van you…" the words stopped coming out when she raised a hand to trace the golden coronet that circled his head. The intricate piece of royal jewelry was made to resemble two dragons with long bodies; their heads meeting in the middle of his forehead. Apart from two small garnets for eyes, there was no other embellishment.

"Dragon King." She whispered, still admiring the coronet. 

Van chuckled and plucked her hand from his forehead gently. He turned it and brushed his lips against the palm, causing a small beat of pleasure to run straight to her heart.

"What do you need?" He didn't let go of her hand and looked at her like it was the most normal thing to treat her like a woman of noble birth.

 _Well, I guess he's had a lot of time to practice his poker face._

"I need to speak to you about something," Hitomi said. 

Nodding, he pulled her into the room and closed the door. Before she could begin to speak, Van's lips gently brushed hers. His arms were around her waist and her hands held on to the front of his haori coat automatically. The kiss was chaste, but it still caused a healthy flush on both their cheeks.

"So?" Van asked as their lips separated, still holding her in his arms.

"So?" Hitomi asked in confusion.

"There is something you wanted to speak to me about?" One corner of his mouth raised in amusement. It made his normally stoic face look even more handsome.

 _I wonder when exactly he became so titillating over the years._

"There is!" Hitomi answered in realization. "But first, where is Kur going?"

Van released his hold on her and removed Hitomi's hands from the front of his coat. He held them in his. "I don't know if I should tell you that."

"I talked to him earlier…about a vision I had. The vision was about him." She assured him.

"I know," Van said quietly, avoiding her stare. 

"Please Van. Tell me." She tried to meet his eyes. "It could be dangerous for him to go wherever this vision is supposed to come true."

"Without a doubt." He sighed. "But he would have probably left even without my permission." He finally met her eyes with his, and almost looked sad. "He went to free his sister."

"I didn't know he had a sister." Hitomi squeezed Van's hands more tightly. "Wait. Is she pregnant?"

All Van could do was nod.

"Where is she?" Hitomi asked.

"In Egzardia," Van said gravely. "Kur is going to Egzardia to save his sister from her brutal husband, king Jekt. When the conflicts between Basram and Zaibach began, Inanna was quickly married to him. She was still just a child then ..." 

Hitomi pulled one of her hands out of Van's grasp, only to touch it to her forehead in realization. "By the gods, I should have remembered. Merle told me this the night I arrived here. She said Basram and Egzardia are linked by a political marriage. I never thought to ask for details."

Van nodded again. "Most of the energists Basram uses come from Egzardian mines. It was the only way to guarantee their loyalty as well as a continued, steady supply of energists for their experiments and weapons."

"Energists!" Hitomi's head shot up again when she remembered. "This is what I came to talk to you about in the first place."

She pulled her other hand from his and removed the dull ring from her index finger. Holding it up between them she said. "It's dead. I need something new. It's that easy." She explained. "The pendant isn't strong enough for my powers anymore. I think what it really does is it amplifies them. My powers were inside of me the whole time I was on earth, but they were weak because the pendant was far way, here with you. Then I got the ring and suddenly was able to do so much more. The other day at the shallow sea, I had both pendant and ring. That was the strongest I've ever felt. I didn't feel any pain after and I didn't faint. I think if I can get a new one, my powers can be amplified again."

Van walked over to the fireplace and turned his back towards her. "Hitomi it's not that easy." One of his hands came to rest on the mantle above as he leaned on it and stared into the flames.

She followed him. "Why?"

"First off, we don't have a craftsman in Fanelia who can work with energists." He spoke quietly. "Second, we don't have any mines here and energists are hard to come by in this part of Gaea. That's why I had to go through the rite of dragon slaying." He sighed heavily. "And third..."

"And third?" She asked.

He turned around surprisingly fast and his hands were on the sides of her face. "And third…" he mumbled as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I don't want you to endanger yourself any further. Can you imagine…" His eyes darkened as he focused on her intently "…what was going through my head when I saw you on the ship, so close to that dragon…and then when you fell?"

Hitomi pulled his hands from her face and interlaced her fingers with his. "Van. I don't know what to tell you except that I love you, and I want nothing more than to forget all of this and just be happy and carefree. To… to stay here with you and grow old together. But…"

There. She had said it out loud. Without having mulled it over for the hundredth time, her heart had finally made her speak the words instead of her brain. However, the impact was lost on both of them because of what she said next.

"…but if we don't do something…if we don't at least try, then there won't be any place for us to be happy in."

Van swallowed slowly when he saw the pleading look in her eyes. He finally nodded in defeat. "I will send a falcon to Palas. Perhaps Dryden has an idea."

His fingers were splaying against her lower back as they hugged tightly. He was torn between the love he felt for the woman in his arms and the love for his people, country, and all of Gaea. _If only I had been born a lesser man, I wouldn't have to make such decisions._ At this moment, for the first time in years, he resented his office. 

"I'm sorry Hitomi, but I have some papers to go through now. Even in times of war, there are proposals to read and trade agreements to review." He said quietly.

Hitomi tightened her hold on him for a moment, before she let him go reluctantly. "It's alright Van." She said as she pulled away. "What are the odds that I can have you to myself for a while later this evening? I have something else to ask of you."

"And what will that be?" He asked, his face still masked with a dark expression.

"You will see." She said sheepishly, trying to lift his mood. "Just meet me in the library."

"Alright." He agreed.

With that, she reached around his head again to pull him into another soft kiss. Van didn't have time to take hold of her again before she was already at the door and closed it from the outside.

Van stood for a moment and looked at the solid door. _I don't even deserve her._ He thought with a sigh, moved over to his table mechanically and reached for a small strip of parchment to write the message to Dryden.

Later, Hitomi was at the window in the library watching the evening sky as it turned from a dark orange to a soft, dark blue. She was deep in thought about the current state of things on there was a soft knock on the door, she turned to see Van enter and her face lit up instantly.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He responded, looking ever so handsome.

He had changed into a pair of comfortable, short breeches and his casual, dark haori jacket. The same clothes he wore the night she confronted him in his study. This time, the jacket was tied neatly.

Hitomi walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out the heavy book with the gold lettering and illustrations she had looked at before. She brought it to the sitting area and motioned for Van to join her.

"I wanted to ask you to read this to me. I…still don't know how to read Gaean. Maybe you could teach me some?" She asked hopefully.

It was his soft smile that made her heart swell these days. It was rare and only reserved for her. Just when he sat down next to her, she saw him do it again. "I will." He said as he settled into the cushions close to her.

He draped one of his arms across the back of the bench behind her and opened the book on her lap. His index finger pointed the words out to her. "It's a history book. The title is 'The Destiny War'. This means destiny and this means war. We read from left to right."

Hitomi nodded and turned the page as he began to explain some of the more common symbols to her. She learned to identify the symbols for words like Gaea, king, Escaflowne, seeress, sword, and vision. After pointing them out to her, Van would read a passage and then let her try to remember anything she could in the following lines.

On the other side of the door, Merle was about to knock. Before her knuckles touched the wood, she halted as her large ears twitched. She picked up soft voices behind the door and it caused her to re-evaluate the importance of her intended visit. _I guess this isn't as important after all._ She purred in satisfaction.

Mind made up, she turned and left to wander through the dark hallways like so many nights, until she picked up a different kind of much louder noise further away and decided to investigate. She finally found the source of the rummaging sounds behind a half-open pantry door on a floor level close to the basements. 

_Strange, normally the servants are a lot more discreet and quiet. Besides, they usually retire after sundown._ She thought as she pulled the door open completely. Only there wasn't a servant in there. It was Gajeel. He was pushing aside bottles and other kinds of containers, obviously searching for something.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Merle cleared her throat soundly. Gajeel turned his head briefly and seemed to only be mildly surprised at seeing her. "Yes, my lady general?" He asked and immediately busied himself again with his search. 

His clothes, for once, were dry since the small, frozen lake in the gardens didn't seem to entice him to swim. He had complained many times before about how shallow it was. His breeches actually fit, and he was wearing boots and a shirt. A rare sight.

"What is it that you think you are doing here?" She asked accusingly and shifted her hips to move her weight from one leg to the other.

He seemed to finally have found what he was looking for and brushed past Merle without straightening up the mess he had made during his search. She followed his long strides to another door further down, which he opened to let himself in.

"I wanted a drink, " he shrugged nonchalantly as he entered the small, rustic room. It was furnished with a sturdy set of table and chairs, as well as some cabinets; a room for servants to rest and eat.

"Is that so?" She asked as she followed him and quickly snatched one of the bottles out of his hand. She looked at it, grumbling. "That's Zaibach Votka. You do realize how hard it is to come by this particular kind these days, right?"

He shrugged as he sat down the other supplies on the table and moved to find some glasses. "Seeing as how we are about to experience another outright war soon, it would be a shame to let it come to waste."

"Care to join me for a drink?" He asked as he set two goblets on the table.

Merle set the bottle down and let her tail swish back and forth for a moment in thought. "I suppose." She finally answered and sat in one of the chairs, propping her long legs up on the edge of the table. "I'll have a White Rewski. No Vodka, no kava liquor."

Gajeel chuckled in honest amusement. "A goblet of cream for the lady it is."

Hitomi did well, considering it was her first time learning the new symbols. She was surprised at how patient Van was, but the productivity of the lesson stalled more and more as his head drew closer towards the side of hers and she could feel the heat of his body against her arm and side. His teaching voice was distractingly seductive. 

After another short while of listening to his soft tenor next to her ear, she closed the book. "Van. I'm tired."

"I see," he said with what Hitomi could have sworn was a hint of disappointment. "I will walk you to your room." He took the book from her lap to return it to its place on the shelf.

"Van," Hitomi said as she rose from the spot they had just spent the past two hours at. "I was hoping…if it's okay with you…I'd like to come with you tonight." She was playing with the fabric of her dress between her fingers. "I just…want to be with you tonight." 

Van's heart skipped a beat at the question. Of course, he wanted her to. He had been thinking about it many times in the past days, heck the dark parts of his mind had him thinking about it since the first night she returned. He wanted nothing more than to share his bed with her. 

In typical Van fashion, he simply looked at her from beneath the bangs of his ebony hair and gave a slight nod. He held her hand as they walked just a few doors down to where the royal bedchambers were. All the while, his thumb was drawing small circles on the back of Hitomi's hand. It caused a pleasant tingling sensation to spread all over her body.

The antechamber of his bedroom was twice the size of hers and had two doors on opposite sides. He led her through the one on the right. The room was furnished nicely and an inviting fire was already crackling in the fireplace on the far side. A large canopy bed with a side table was set close to it. 

Close to the side of the bed, she noticed the royal sword resting against the table. "Still sleeping with this always close by?" Hitomi asked when she saw it.

Van simply nodded again. She pulled him with her as she walked closer to the bed and stopped when she stepped out of her slippers and onto the soft, cream-colored furs that were draped before it. Her toes sank into the fluffy material and it reminded her a bit of his wings. 

She faced him and stood for a moment, waiting to see if he would make the first move. He didn't. It seemed as if he was frozen in place. His garnet eyes, however, gave away his thoughts. Van was longing to touch her.

Hitomi laughed softly. "You weren't this hesitant that one night in your study."

Van shut his eyes in obvious discomfort. "I apologize for that. I don't know what came over me then." He finally opened his eyes again and reached for her face. His hand gently cupped her cheek. "I suppose I just couldn't resist touching you."

Hitomi smirked as she reached for the ties of his haori jacket and unlaced them. She pushed the fabric off his shoulders and the garment fell to the floor. Next, she did something more unexpected. She reached around her neck to remove the pendant.

Hitomi got on her tip toes and brought the necklace down over his head so the pendant rested against his chest again. "Here, it's yours. I just needed to borrow it." Hitomi said quietly and leaned close to press her lips against his warm, tan skin next to the small, pink stone.

Van couldn't remain still anymore. He once again cradled her face in his hands and leaned down to lock his lips with hers in a sweet kiss, the pendant swinging back and forth between them in perfect rhythm.

A soft noise escaped Hitomi's throat and in response, Van trailed his hands down the side of her neck and pushed the fabric of her red kimono dress away from her shoulders as far as possible. His lips followed his left hand and he bestowed slow, open-mouthed kisses on the side of her neck. 

"Mmmh, Van." She exclaimed and reached for him. Her hands came to rest on the waistband of his breeches and she let her fingers explore the muscles of his lower stomach all the way to the side of his hips.

"Please Van. I…I need for us to be closer." She begged.

In response, he wound one of his arms around her waist to pull her against himself tightly. His lips worked their way back up and their mouths met in a series of short, heated kisses. "No… closer…please." Hitomi breathed in frustration.

She reached for the ties of her obi, but Van's hands were already there. He pulled at them and the sash under her breasts fell away as the fabric of her dress parted. She shrugged it off and Van was briefly reminded of the moment when he had done the same thing several fathoms under the sea.

This time, however, the occasion was so much more pleasant. She stood before him in the simple Fanelian style underclothing. A loose fitting combination of short, white shorts and a camisole. The shapes of her perky nipples were clearly visible through the thin fabric. His fingers were aching to touch them, to rub them and tease them until she moaned his name.

Hitomi was the first one to move again. She took his warm hand in hers and pulled him with her to the bed. He followed willingly and slowly lowered himself next to her, leaning on one arm as he hovered over her. What was this beautiful woman doing to him? He allowed his other hand to settle on the backside of her thigh. The softness of her skin was a welcome change to the feeling of a sword handle. The rough skin of his hand sent a shiver down Hitomi's spine.

ooo

She responded by pulling his head towards hers again, this time with her fingers tangled in his hair. The soft pull on his scalp caused something in his brain to snap and he greedily brought his lips against hers. Her hot breath against his mouth was tantalizing, so he used the hand on her leg to pull it across the side of his hip. His lips again strayed from their kiss as they wandered down the side of her neck, briefly stopping to nip at her shoulder and then went lower, towards the loose neckline of her thin camisole.

Small noises of pleasure escaped her throat when he gently kissed the swell of her small breasts through the fabric. He was teasing her, Hitomi's clumsy thoughts told her. She felt the vibrations of his chuckle against her breast. "Van…please…" She whispered.

Her fingers dug into his scalp and the top of the muscles at the base of his neck. Feeling her nails gently rake across his skin spurred him on and he finally enveloped one of her hard nipples with his lips through the fabric. It didn't take long until she was moaning his name.

Van's excitement was growing painfully and Hitomi could feel it through his breeches against her thigh. However, he seemed to be less worried about his own state of arousal as he kept his ministrations focused on her. His mouth was leisurely working on one of her nipples, teasing it through the damp fabric. When he felt like he had bestowed enough attention on one, he tilted his head and switched to the other.

Hitomi could only respond with moans of pleasure and by wrapping her leg around him more tightly. His hand was running up and down the length of it and he marveled the strength it held. She felt powerful. She always had been. He had been fascinated by her long, well-shaped legs since they first met. The short skirt of her school uniform had done little to hide them back then and it was difficult for him to not be caught staring sometimes. 

Now, her legs were even more superb. In fact, all of her had grown more impressive. Van was in a daze. His hand had a mind of its own as it kept tracing back up higher and higher on her leg until he was grasping the firm cheek of her bottom. Instead of being surprised, she urged him on. His fingers complied and followed the heat that was pooling between her legs.

She moaned his name loudly as he found her moist lips. The warm, sticky trail of her arousal was already collecting in the soft curls around her center. His fingers were coated in it after one pass through her folds. She was now begging his name, her eyes unfocused. He raised his head to see her reaction as two of his fingers slowly entered her.

The flush on Hitomi's face was hottest on her cheeks as his rough fingers slowly caressed her. In and out they went, pausing to rub the little, sensitive nub swimming in cream. The actions of his fingers became more urgent as she begged him, gasping his name.

When she came, he eased his fingers into her deeply, reveling in the feeling of her release. He drew out the sensation longer for her by gently pushing against the sensitive nub. He enjoyed the feeling of her nails digging deeply into his skin in response. She shuddered and pushed her hips against him tightly, and her mouth slightly agape in a soft moan.

The movement reminded him of his own excitement, but right now he wanted it to be about her. He wanted to please her and giver what he could, instead of just taking what he wanted. It wasn't that he didn't know how to please a woman, but with the others, he had never worried about any feelings they could possibly be harboring towards him. 

After she calmed, he retracted his hand and settled onto his back. Hitomi responded by removing the leg from around his hip and rested her head on his warm chest. Van's heartbeat against her cheek was soothing. It made her more and more drowsy. One of his hands was high up on her back under the fabric of her camisole; the other hand was clutched around one of hers. His grip on it was pleasantly possessive and she smiled at the feeling.

"Van…" She mumbled.

"Shhh…go to sleep, Hitomi." He gently whispered against the side of her head.

"Mmmh…" She responded weakly as one of her fingers lazily traced the outline of his abdominal muscles where they disappeared underneath the fabric of his breeches.

ooo

Like so often during the night, Van woke abruptly when pictures of the war flashed in his head. He got up briefly and stretched his back. Hitomi was curled up on her side facing away from him and he allowed himself a moment to just watch her sleep. She looked content and at peace.

With a sigh, he released the curtains of the green canopy and stored her clothes in one of the dressers. He rarely used the curtains as he was normally up by the time one of the maids or Merle knocked on his door. Just to be safe, and being considerate of Hitomi's privacy, he pulled the curtains to prevent an incident where they were found together.

After another moment of stretching his muscles, he ran one of his hands through his wild hair and settled back into the bed. Her warmth was incredibly inviting, so he carefully spooned his body against the back of hers, circling one arm around her waist and resting his hand on the soft skin of her midsection. 

In the morning, Van was glad to have pulled the curtains when a knock sounded at the door. The pair was facing each other when they woke up and Van immediately lifted one of his fingers to Hitomi's lips in a sign for her to remain quiet. It wasn't that he wanted to be secretive about their relationship. Most of the palace already knew, but for somebody to find them in his chambers would definitely raise questions about the legitimacy of what they could be doing.

Loose protocols and tanistry aside, he was still the king and bearing a child out of wedlock would harm Hitomi's reputation. Although nothing had happened last night that gave him reasons for concern in this matter, it would be hard to convince whoever found them together this morning. An unnecessary discussion Van wished to spare himself and Hitomi.

Hitomi nodded slightly as she understood that he wanted her to keep quiet. "Yes?" He asked loud enough for whoever was on the other side of the door to hear.

"Good morning, brother!" Merle cheerfully called as she entered. It was highly unusual for Van to still be in bed at this time…or to draw the curtains of his canopy bed. She furrowed her brow until realization hit her. Then, a very broad smile formed on her beautiful face.

She smoothed some hair behind her large ears and said "Kur and Gajeel are leaving. They are bringing a small group of wind soldiers, and two of my men with them. Thought you should know."

Van answered immediately. "I will be there as fast as I can to see them off."

Merle giggled and skipped out of the room full of glee. "Wonderful." She was about to close the door behind her, before adding. "Oh and don't worry, Hitomi. I won't tell anybody." With that, she was gone.

Hitomi's eyes went wide as Van's finger slid off her lips. She bit her bottom lip as they both sat up slowly. "She won't," Van reassured her as he scratched the back of his head in slight unease. 

He looked a bit forlorn, sitting there with the muted morning light casting his silhouette against the drapes. A bit forlorn, but terribly handsome. Hitomi blushed deeply when memories of the past night resurfaced, and what exactly they had done. Or more precisely, what **he** had done. She had no idea he was so skilled, but then remembered again that he hadn't been idle in that department during the past ten years. Not that she had been either.

Hitomi watched him disappear behind a screen to change back into his ever so monotone, black clothing. They arrived at the small levi ship field shortly after and Van helped her from his stallion after dismounting it first.

With the Varie being the fastest and most stealthy ship they still had at their disposal, Van had decided that Kur should take it. A handful of his soldiers, as well as two of Merle's army, were with him, Gajeel, Merle, and Darriah. They were traveling with light weapons only. 

Nobody seemed to want to mention it, but the mission was dangerous, to say the least. The general idea was to cross the shallow sea as close to the surface of the water as possible, where Gajeel and the merpeople would provide cover in the event of hostile dragon encounters. Most of their attacks were limited to the water, but they could still provide assistance, should the need arise. 

Since Fanelia had no need for ships that were confined to only water, Van and the merpeople of Repun had come to an agreement for mutual respect and help in times of need. This was more than any other diplomat or monarch on Gaea had been able to achieve before. Commanded by Gajeel, king Marduk's half-brother, the merpeople of Repun were Fanelia's water army when needed. 

Van and Kur talked briefly before taking each other's wrists in a firm handshake, as was the custom. Van even moved close to Kur in a sort of half hug, resting his other hand on the other man's upper back. They had spent many years training and rebuilding Fanelia together, so it was harder than he liked to admit for Van to let Kur willingly embark on a quest that could possibly get him killed.

Van had no choice. Had he not allowed him to leave, Kur would have gone anyway, likely without support. Van out of all people understood Kur's need to rescue his sister. Merle and Darriah had offered to go along, but as much as Van wanted to provide more help, Fanelia's involvement in this mission could be seen as an outright provocation by Egzardia. It would have not only endangered the individuals in the group but the citizens of all Fanelia. 

Hitomi, Van, Merle, and Darriah watched the Varie depart speedily. After the ship disappeared across the tall mountain cliffs, they made their way back to the palace. Hitomi rode with Van again and Merle was close by. Hitomi glanced at Merle out of the corner of her eyes and sighed as she saw the feline's obvious smirk. True to her word, she didn't say a word and soon departed with Darriah on their way to the training grounds.

Van was due to meet with Mek, the Chamberlain, to discuss several petitions pertaining new trade routes he had looked over the previous night. This left Hitomi to her own devices again. Tired of spending her time inside, she decided to simply walk the gardens around the palace, still making sure to not stray too far. 

It was a beautiful day and although the sun was shining, she buttoned up the new coat as far as possible and lifted the hood onto her head. This new coat was almost identical to the one she had had to leave behind in the water.

 _Maybe_ , she mused sarcastically, _that teal haired mermaid found it_. _Uh…no need to be jealous, Hitomi._ She scolded herself. _It's silly. You know how he feels about you now. Whatever there was between them in the past, it doesn't matter._

She stopped in a small, secluded clearing and inclined her head to see where her feet had brought her. They had carried her to Escaflowne and the monument that had been erected for Van's parents. She stood for a long time and looked at each little detail.

Goau and Varie's names were etched into the smooth, white stone. One name had been added that wasn't there the day she left. Folken's. Her heart began to ache at the thought of Van's family being buried right where she stood. She imagined again what it was like to meet Folken, to talk to him, and learn that he loved his brother despite everything. The love for a sibling. She had understood him all too well.

Hitomi turned her head to the side and looked at Escaflowne. The large, majestic machine was patiently resting on one knee, just like it had been for over a decade. Some vines had started to twist themselves around its body and it was covered in snow. Too much reminiscing. She couldn't take it anymore. Thick, wet tears slipped from her eyes and burned their way down her cold cheeks.

She wept for all of them, but most of all, she wept for Van. All his sorrows, his pain, his loss, and his sadness. His life had been marked by it early on when Folken presumably died, his father passed, his mother left, his home was destroyed, his mentor and people killed…and so much more. Too much death, not to mention the fact that he had been forced to take up arms and kill, too. 

As her tears finally subsided, she wiped her face and decided that she needed to be strong for him. Whatever it was that she could do to help Gaea towards everlasting peace, she would do it. _I'll do whatever it takes. No matter what happens to me._ She made the silent promise while looking back at the monument.

Back at the palace, Van and Mek were standing at a table covered in scrolls. They were just about to sign a petition when loud rattling at one of the windows interrupted them. Van immediately walked over to open it, so the bird wouldn't break it with his impatient beak.

Van let the large hawk land on his lower arm and plucked the message canister from its leg. He ran the back of his hand down the animal's wing and mumbled "What are you waiting for, Hudson? Go. He probably needs you." Van tossed the bird back into the air and watched him disappear swiftly. His shrill cry sounded in the distance.

A small piece of parchment fell out of the container after he broke the seal. His heart rate quickened as he unrolled the narrow scroll. A single word appeared in Dryden's elaborate cursive.

'Ispano.'

 **Tbc...**

Notes on ideas I borrowed:

Catwoman (2004). The party scene. (White Russian: Equal parts of cream, coffee liquor, and vodka). 

Hudson Hawk (1991)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Are you ready to have your mind blown? J/K. But really. Check my notes at the bottom to find out what my source for this part was. I don't want to give too much away at the beginning. Stay with me here!

~~Fanelia~~

This time it was Van who sought out Hitomi. He found her wandering through the gardens and she could tell by his uneasy facial expression that something was troubling him.

"Van, what's going on?" Hitomi asked when he came close enough to speak.

He pulled out the small piece of parchment and handed it to her. "Dryden's answer."

Hitomi read the single word and looked at Van somewhat timidly. "I see." She took a deep breath. As per the promise she had just made herself, she would be ready to do whatever it took. "How do we contact the Ispano?"

Van glanced over her shoulder towards the clearing by the elder tree she had just come from. "Escaflowne." He simply said.

 _Of course!_ Hitomi thought. A long time ago, after Van had sustained life-threatening injuries from a fight, they had been fortunate enough to run across Dryden's convoy. The merchant was very knowledgeable about many things, including the fact that Escaflowne could 'phone home' to the Ispano factory. 

"I…don't know if it's a good idea, Hitomi." He looked at her with apparent unease. "We know so little about them. The only thing we do know for sure is that they don't work for free."

Hitomi thought on this for a moment but then shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We have to try."

He sighed in defeat. "Alright. I need to let Merle know. We don't know what to expect. We will do it tonight when it's dark. I want to draw as little attention to their ship as possible. People will be scared when they see it." 

Hitomi nodded, but then spoke again. "Van. I can…go alone. You have a kingdom to rule and protect…There is no telling what happens when we call them or how long it will take…"

Van interrupted her by seizing her arm a bit more roughly than he meant to. "Don't even think for a moment that I'm going to let you do this alone!" He spoke in a very serious tone.

Hitomi inhaled sharply, but quickly relaxed again when she realized Van's harsh reaction was due to concern and not anger. She placed one of her hands to cover the one that was holding her arm and the gentle touch seemed to calm him. "Van. Please."

He shook his head slowly and loosened his grip until his hand fell away from her arm, but Hitomi was still holding on. His hand was warm in her own cold one.

Hitomi finally picked up the more pressing train of thought again. "Let's inform whoever needs to know."

Van sighed again but then nodded in agreement. A bit later, they found Merle taking her lunch in the kitchen. Neither Van nor Hitomi felt particularly hungry, but they joined her and satisfied what little appetite they had.

Merle chewed on a piece of meat slowly while memories of the Ispano played in her head. "Man…they sure were weird. Van you weren't conscious when we met them, but Hitomi and I saw them and we couldn't tell what they even looked like. It still gives me chills to think about it."

Hitomi nodded in thought. "I remember they were short…all the same height. Big, shiny eyes and wide cloaks are all I remember." She listlessly stirred her stew and finally let go of the spoon entirely. 

Van's arms were crossed, just like always when he was brooding. He had barely touched his food, much to the dissatisfaction of Lerna. It was almost like Hitomi could read the woman's thoughts. She didn't need any psychic abilities to know that the cook was concerned about her king. Being a wise enough lady, and used to Van's 'volatile temper' as she had described it herself, she didn't say anything.

"We will call them when it's dark. I'm hoping to draw as little attention as possible." He eventually said. "Merle, you know what to do."

The neko nodded dutifully.

"We really don't know what to expect." Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever it is, I hope they know more than we do and can help, and that it doesn't take long."

After they finished, Van decided that Merle needed to be informed about the new proposals Mek and he had been working on. Hitomi joined them, but she soon stopped paying attention to the political talk behind her and zoned out on the fire that was crackling across from where she was sitting on the other side of the room. 

She watched the dancing flames and thought about how it had only been just over a week that she had still been on Earth, living her quaint life as if everything was supposed to be quite normal forever. What if she had refused to go to the spiritual convention with Yukari? Would she still have crossed paths with Ai and Moira? Would she have ever made it back here?

What if not? Would another war, one where powerful dragons unleashed their violent attacks across the land, finally have destroyed the planet? Would have a violent war finally torn it apart and killed everyone she knew here? She sighed quietly when she briefly wondered why it was her who had been 'gifted' with these powers. Really, it had been her grandmother in the first place. Her thoughts continued to ramble on for quite a while.

She glanced at Van and Merle over by the large table. He was forever running a hand through his hair in thought which caused it to always look as wild as it did now. A habit she had noticed early on. It endeared him even more to her. Initially, she had been a bit scared of what he had become after they met again. It turned out that he had shut himself back in after he had pushed her away all these years ago. He had done it hoping that she would have a chance for a peaceful life on Earth, disregarding his own feelings for her.

It made Hitomi cringe a bit to think that he had decided to sacrifice his own happiness for hers. But now, if everything turned out well in the end, they could finally be happy together...somehow. But what were they now? A couple? Was being boyfriend and girlfriend a thing here? She chuckled inwardly at the idea of being a king's girlfriend. It seemed a bit silly to think of it this way. For now, she was just content to know that he loved her.

After the sunset, Van nodded to her. "Let's go." 

"Make sure Darriah is aware of what is happening. I haven't seen her all day." He told Merle.

She nodded. "Of course. Well, you know her. She likes to train the soldiers more than the sword masters themselves."

"Naturally." Van agreed. "Hitomi and I should call the ship alone."

Merle agreed but followed them all the way to the archway by the gardens. "Good luck." She said as Hitomi and Van disappeared into the darkness. Her posture was tall and regal leaning against the archway on one side, but one of her hands was clutching the other upper arm. _I have a weird feeling about this._

As they walked towards the clearing, Hitomi reached for Van's hand. Their gloved fingers interlaced naturally as they walked in silence. When they arrived in front of Escaflowne, Van briefly looked at his family's grave, then Hitomi's face.

He used his free hand to push the hood of her coat back and ran his hand through her soft, short hair. "Are you sure you want to do this, Hitomi?"

Her eyes were wide open and even in the darkness, the light of the twin moons reflected their resolve. "Every minute we waste is a step closer to the ashes of Gaea."

Van sighed and barely nodded his head. His hand let go of hers as he turned towards Escaflowne. The dull crystal on its chest pulsed a faint pink as soon as its master touched the machine. He climbed it in the same fashion he had done so many times during the war. The hatch opened for him readily when he placed his hand over the melef's heart.

Snow slid to the ground and a few green vines around the metal snapped as the mechanism operated just as smoothly as it had over ten years ago. Ispano craftsmanship was unmatched in all of Gaea and Hitomi was sure that if Van wanted to pilot it again, it would still operate perfectly.

He reached inside towards the right and activated the homing device. Just like last time, the response was immediate. A green light shot from the guymelef in waves like aurora borealis. The sky above them began to glow and a small bright ring appeared. It grew bigger by the second and as Van joined her again on the ground, they watched the massive Ispano mother ship descend slowly. 

The clearing was too small for any part of the ship to touch down, even the narrow, slanted figure on the bottom. It was the shape of a lion that reminded Hitomi of a kara-jishi. Its mouth formed a broad gin and just a moment after the ship stopped in mid-air, the mouth opened like a hatch and a small, hovering platform descended from it. 

Van and Hitomi could only stare at the platform in front of them. Sure, they had seen Zaibach's flying fortresses and fought against invisible enemies, but never had any of them seen a simple, sleek piece of metal move without a visible mechanism. Van suddenly felt very strange. Hitomi, however, approached it bravely.

He immediately followed and made sure to stand very close to her so he could wrap his arms around her and fly away, should the need arise. When the platform ascended smoothly, one of his hands took hold of her underarm, just in case.

They were swallowed by the big figure's mouth and greeted by a mostly dark interior. The platform seemed to fuse with the floor there.

"Hello?" Hitomi asked into the darkness.

As if out of nowhere, a light in front of them lit up brightly and forced them to cover their eyes.

"So sorry. Better now?" A curious voice asked.

They lowered their hands and saw that the bright light was dimmer now. It seemed to be focused in six small, round eyes under the hood of a cloaked figure.

"Yes, thank you," Hitomi answered. "We are here to ask for your help Mr. uh… Ispano." 

"Name is Seis. Come follow. We go higher up talk business there." He beckoned them towards him.

Van's hand found Hitomi's again and they carefully followed the Ispano through the darkness, up a set of narrow, winding stairs. They ascended several levels and passed through a few floors with metal parts of unknown purpose. Some were quite rusty and ancient looking. Not really what Hitomi had expected from the progressive tinkerers.

When they kept going up and up for what seemed like an eternity, Hitomi reevaluated her previous assessment. _The stuff we passed earlier must have been all…old junk._ She quickly looked back at Van and saw that his eyes were wide as saucers when they finally ascended through another floor layer and entered into what she guessed to be the main chamber of the ship.

It was gigantic. Unfinished guymelefs of the most exquisite looking materials and finest make were hanging off tall overhead cranes. Every metal surface their eyes fell on was polished and clean. A large number of cloaked figures, all identical, were busily working on stations below the half-finished melefs. The only thing that distinguished them from each other were the curious looking glasses they all wore. It looked as though each of them had a different number of eyes. 

Both Van and Hitomi were too stunned to say anything. Van was busy staring at the guymelef torso closest to him. Its armor looked as if it had been made from the darkest obsidian, and the blood red cape hanging from its shoulders gave it an even more intimidating look. When finished, it doubtlessly would be impressive.

 _Mechanomania huh?_ Hitomi squeezed his hand a bit harder and raised one eyebrow as he looked at her questioningly. "This is not what we came for." She hissed.

"Sorry." He quietly said and tore his eyes away from the machine.

Finally, their escort stopped in front of a group of three other Ispano. Each looked identical to the other with the exception of their eyes. They all wore the same dark cloaks which covered them from head to toe. The cloaks were held together by a clasp at the front which was topped by a pink energist stone. Their spectacles flashed for a second. "Oooooh, Fanelia." They exclaimed in unison. 

The Ispano on the very right, the one with five eyes, approached them. "You ask for Ispano help? We not get involved with war."

Hitomi shook her head. "We don't expect you to. We just…do you happen to know who I am?" She tried to see if she could forego a long explanation.

"Ooooh. We all know seeress. Ispano share knowledge. What one Ispano know, we all know." He said mechanically.

"Oh… okay then. Uh… great." Hitomi said a bit nervously. So they did remember her, or at least they seemed to be familiar with the events of the Destiny War. "I had an energist. I used it to amplify my powers, but it broke. Do you know anything about why this may have happened?"

The creature nodded its head. "Drag energist overload. Can't guarantee."

"Can't guarantee? What is that supposed to mean?" Van asked impatiently.

"Fanelia use Draconian blood for Escaflowne. Could not guarantee." The creature said.

"We know that. But what does that have to do with our question?" Van asked as politely as possible.

"Special cases. Not often happen." He explained.

Hitomi placed a hand on Van's arm to indicate that she wanted to handle the talking. "But do you know how I could get a new energist and use it to help amplify my powers in an ideal way?"

"Nueve knows!" One of the others exclaimed.

"Oooooh." The four of them exclaimed in realization. "We know."

"Okay? Please explain." Hitomi asked politely.

"We bring you Ispano city. Research. Very special. Trade knowledge for help." The creature's voice became slightly more high pitched and sort of metallic at the end. "Knowledge worth more than money!"

"Knowledge power!" The others spoke in unison again.

Van's gut was twisting uncomfortably. Something was telling him that he wouldn't like this deal. "Hitomi, I don't think…." He whispered into her ear.

"What other choice do we have, Van?" She mumbled back to him. "If this will lead us to anything that can help me become more powerful, we need to go." 

"Listen, this is **not** a good idea. He said more loudly. They **never** do anything for free. Something about this seems strange." He hissed again.

She turned her head back towards the Ispano and nodded. "Please take us there."

The creatures' eyes flashed again and that's when Hitomi finally noticed. They weren't spectacles. They were camera lenses. The Ispano had cameras for eyes. A shiver went down her spine as this realization hit her.

The cloaked creatures nodded and their original guide motioned his green-gloved hand at them. "You follow. We fly Ispano realm." 

"How long will this take?" Van asked. Thoughts of leaving Merle behind with only one of the other generals present for an undetermined amount of time made him very uneasy.

"Not worry. One day in Ispano realm only one hour on any moon." He explained as they followed him to the side of the massive chamber.

"Wait. Any moon?" Hitomi gasped? "Does this mean you can go to the mystic moon too?"

"Yes. All moons." The Ispano answered her eagerly. "Atlantis knowledge. We work on since our creation. Much more knowledge now. Many centuries work."

Hitomi understood. It was because of the time difference that the Ispano were the most high-tech out of all the societies she had come across here. Even Basram with its highly developed weapons and technology paled in comparison.

The Ispano pushed a button next to a polished, metal door and when it opened, Hitomi realized what it was. _Oh dear. They have elevators._ She thought with a nervous look at Van. She was not sure how he would react to it, but he seemed to be hung up on scrutinizing the unfinished black melef again.

After they entered the elevator, he finally seemed to adjust to the new surrounding and immediately looked concerned. Hitomi touched his arm and tried to calm him. "It's alright Van. This is an elevator. At least I think it is. We have them on the mystic moon. They are moving rooms that help us traverse height without the need of stairs."

His chest expanded suddenly as the doors closed and the force of the elevator lifted them up quickly. Despite his unease, he didn't say anything.

The Ispano motioned for them to follow as the doors opened again in, what Hitomi assumed, was many levels above the large factory chamber they had just been in. They followed his cloaked figure down a long hallway. It was like something Hitomi could only compare to movies she had seen about very distant futures. The hallway looked like that of a space ship's. White metal surrounded them completely and even the doors were made out of it. Each door featured a keypad and small screen next to it. 

Finally, the Ispano stopped in front of one of them and leaned close to such a screen. It scanned the creature's eyes and chimed happily in recognition. So it was a way to identify the individual seeking entry. Hitomi once again looked at Van, who could only stare at the device in obvious confusion. Being used to technology and computers, Hitomi was less perturbed by it.

They were ushered into a wide, sparsely furnished room and told to wait there until Seis returned to retrieve them. Neither Van nor Hitomi paid much attention to the exiting Ispano as they were immediately preoccupied with what they saw through the window. 

A vast expanse of black was visible through it, but not only that. They seemed to be closer to Earth and the moon than ever. Both quickly crossed the room and Hitomi's hands came to rest on the solid glass. "I can't believe it. Van…we're in outer space." She breathed and the realization made her head swim a bit.

Van's eyes were locked on the view as well. He took it better than she expected. "The celestial metagalaxy." He stated in obvious awe. "I… I only read about it before in books. One Fanelian king tried to fly up towards it in the Escaflowne, long before my father was born. I tried to do the same when I retrieved you from the mystic moon after you left." 

Van turned his head and looked at Hitomi now. "But the beam of light caught me when I was nearing the edge of the sky."

"So then… maybe the beam of light is…really something like a wormhole. Van, when we travel to Gaea or Earth we are traversing space and time." She reasoned, still flabbergasted at the view.

As if on cue, the sight changed abruptly. The Earth and moon seemed to stretch sideways and the stars became long, bright streaks. "Are we hyper jumping?!" Hitomi gasped as her hands suddenly became sweaty in her gloves.

"What?" Van asked slightly erratic, picking up on her distress. Just like as abruptly as the surroundings had stretched and swooshed by, the ship slowed again.

"It's…it's a term they use in sci-fi movies and books on Earth. I don't know how it works. All I know is it's supposed to be a maneuver done by spaceships when they travel faster than the speed of light. Ooooh by the gods." It finally dawned on her. "We are not just on any ship. We are on a spaceship." 

It all made sense. That's why the Ispano appeared seemingly out of nowhere, descending from a ring in the sky. That's why everything was so highly advanced and futuristic looking. It also explained why their 'realm' was outer space. The Ispano definitely weren't human. But what were they? Were they aliens? They had cameras for eyes, and all seemed to be the same size and shape, with no hints towards gender.

"I think I know now what the Ispano are." She retracted her hands from the glass and took her gloves off to wipe the sweat on her coat. She suddenly felt very hot. "They are androids."

"What?" Van asked again. He ran a hand through his hair in obvious confusion and unease. He was overwhelmed with the unfamiliar surroundings and overflow of new information. This must have been how Hitomi had felt when she first came to Gaea.

"They are machines. Not living, breathing creatures. Something from a sci-fi film." Hitomi struggled to provide a coherent explanation. He would have no idea what sci-fi was. "So…on Earth…you see…we have different genres in movies and books. Like…Gaea would be in medieval times. Oh, that's it! Think about it as a time period. Gaea is in the past, well, for you it's the present. Uhm…anyway. Where I live on the mystic moon it's the past, while we live in the present, or something Gaea could advance to in the future technology wise. But here, technology is so far advanced that we are basically in the even further away future." 

She hoped that her explanation made at least a little sense to him. "Science fiction is speculation. It's a genre that deals with imaginative concepts like futuristic science and technology. Anything like space or time travel and other universes, for example. Science fiction books and movies often are about what life would be like if science and technology were very advanced."

She stared at Van's face, pleading inwardly that he would understand. He struggled, she could tell. It was a lot to take in for him. "So…if you live in something that Gaea could become in the future, were there melefs on the mystic moon in the past?"

He had a good question there. "Well, no. I mean there aren't any. But we have other things, more advanced technology like electricity that we use to power machines and illuminate our buildings with in the dark."

Van furrowed his brow. "Isn't that what steam power and magic are for? Escaflowne was powered by a drag energist, Asturia has magic sunlamps, and levi stones help our ships fly." 

"Okay okay. I see what you are saying. No, there is no magic on the mystic moon. We don't have levi stones either." Hitomi interrupted him a bit impatiently. "Well… what I mean is that some things are still done the way they were done on Earth a long time ago, like riding horses to get places, the way people dress…"

"What's wrong with what we are wearing?" Van seemed to be hung up on the most curious details of her explanation and it was a bit unnerving.

"Nothing, Van. Nothing is wrong with it. I… I'm just trying to explain it to you but it's difficult to put it into words. It's like Gaea came straight from a Steampunk novel." She threw another curious word at him.

"Steampunk," Van repeated it. 

"I'm sorry. I have a hard time trying to wrap my head around it too. Imagine you saw the future and it was full of things that are beyond what you could possibly imagine." She rubbed her eyes with one hand and finally removed her coat. It was starting to make her feel trapped in the warm room.

She took it off and tossed it onto the table towards the middle of the room. It felt curious to wear a Fanelian dress in this hyper-futuristic environment. Van was watching her, still not sure what to think. 

Then, Hitomi saw something appear behind him in the vast black space that almost caused her heart to stop. She slowly walked back towards him and pointed past him, through the window. "This." She inhaled deeply. "This is science fiction."

Van spun around, eyes wide open again. "By the gods…"

The meteorite was becoming bigger and bigger as they approached smoothly. The Ispano city was something out of a space odyssey. Round buildings with concentric layers, like a tall cake, covered the whole upper surface of the jagged clump of galactic debris. The shape reminded Hitomi of ancient illustrations of the tower of Babel she had come across during times when she was interested in mythology. She could see small figures moving on the wide walkways. Other than the individuals and the buildings, nothing, in particular, stood out. It seemed like most life was going on inside the domes. 

Upon closer inspection, Hitomi saw that the buildings were elaborately decorated with designs that she recognized from her brief visit to the mystic valley in Asgard. 

The mothership hovered some distance away from the city. An invisible hull was covering the meteorite's surface to give it an atmosphere as well as artificial gravity. Seis returned to lead them out of the room and down to the bottom of the ship, much the same way they had arrived. The bottom of the mothership extended through an opening into the dome that covered the city, and the floating platform brought them to the ground again. 

By now, Hitomi felt as alien in the place as Van must have already felt since entering the elevator. They followed the Ispano down the long, straight walkway in the middle. In passing, several other cloaked figures turned their heads. Some had so many camera eyes that Hitomi couldn't even begin to count them.

"Oooooh, Fanelia." And "Ooooooh seeress." Was heard frequently as they passed. Hitomi held on to Van's hand tightly as they followed their Ispano guide. When they came upon the largest dome in the middle, they briefly looked at each other obviously still at a loss for words. Seis opened the door to it the same way he had opened the one on the ship. 

_Oh, this. Is. Wild._ Hitomi kept thinking over and over as they approached a large, polished control panel in the middle. _This the lobby?_ She thought desperately, in order to give herself at least some kind of explanation.

Seis pushed a number of buttons and then let out a strange, metallic beep from behind the cloth that covered his mouth. Or at least, that's where she thought his mouth **should** be. He did have a mouth, right? She had decided that the stiff, pointy whiskers sticking out from under the hood were wires which possibly doubled as some sort of sensors.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the ground suddenly moved and another platform, similar to that from the ship, separated itself from the floor they were standing on. Van, seemingly so overwhelmed and preoccupied with their surroundings he couldn't have possibly been surprised anymore, quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close and keep her from tumbling off the thing. He was staring towards the center of the large dome. She was glad to have him right by her side, to say the least. His warmth had been the only constant thing for her during the past days. 

It was then that Hitomi noticed what he was staring at. The statue of a Draconian, at least ten times the size of a normal human. The figure had long hair and its arms were outstretched wide. She couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a man or a woman. It didn't matter. The statue's wings were spread wide and curved slightly at the top and bottom where they came close to the structure of the dome. The bright material looked like marble, but Hitomi guessed it was probably some sort of metal, too.

Van had never seen a depiction of a Draconian before. They were a cursed society on Gaea and pictures of them were rarely found, let alone a larger than life statue. Just why did the Ispano have a massive Draconian in their dome?

The platform took them high up into a tube and through the side that obviously was only accessible by ways of such a platform. It traversed the short distance they traveled quickly and brought them to an actual, regular hallway. There were several windows and through it, Hitomi saw what looked like research laboratories designed to develop new technology. Some were obviously used for storing parts on rows upon rows of shelves, while others had workbenches which looked neatly organized. A few Ispano were behind the glass in some of the rooms and tinkered with things. 

Each of them turned their heads and adjusted their camera lenses to better see the individuals passing by. They seemed to be focusing on Van more than herself and he noticed this with growing unease.

Seis stopped in front of another door and opened it as per usual, by scanning his 'face'. Behind it, another Ispano already stood waiting. The room was empty apart from a few workbenches with more machine parts on it. In the middle, a shiny, chrome robotic hand was propped up vertically. The digits of its fingers were made from small, intricate parts. 

"Oooh, Fanelia. Ooooh, seeress. Welcome!" The Ispano greeted them, obviously having expected them. Hitomi remembered what she had learned earlier. The Ispano shared knowledge. Of course. They were machines after all and probably drew from the same pool of information or program. 

"My name Dos." The Ispano introduced himself.

With relief, Hitomi noticed that this one only had two camera eyes. Compared to the other Ispano they had seen, he almost looked normal. Seis left the room without a word.

"Dos know why you come. Dos chief scientist." He continued mechanically. Now that she knew the Ispano weren't living, breathing beings, it was easy to pick up on the metallic undertone when they talked.

Van stiffened next to her. "Alright, would somebody finally tell us then?" He asked more gruffly than necessary. "What are you? What do you creatures do, other than building guymelefs?"

Dos' metallic laugh sent a chill down Hitomi's spine. He slowly bowed his head in Van's direction. "Fanelia's Draconian ancestors create Ispano. We serve people of Atlantis long time. When they die, we inherit knowledge. We not only keep, we make more knowledge."

"What? My ancestors created you?" Van asked in disbelief. "The people of Atlantis?"

"Si." Dos nodded. "We work for them. We build for them. Now do business with technology across multiverse. Tried business on moon where seeress from. Not go well. People not smart."

Hitomi snorted quietly. Was he ever right about that. Nobody on Earth should be trusted with something like a guymelef. Humans were doing enough damage to each other with the machines they already had.

"We understand," Hitomi said. "Please, can we get to where this benefits me?" 

"Si." Dos nodded and focused his lens on her. "We trade. Ispano develop automaton guymelef with artificial intelligence. Needs sword master."

Both the Ispano's and Hitomi's eyes were on Van now. "What?" He asked slightly perturbed. "You want me to teach a machine how to fight?"

The metallic laughter sounded again from under Dos' hood. "Si!" He answered decisively. "Fanelia Draconian warrior king teach automaton. Ispano wait long time for such opportunity."

"New development." He moved his hand to the front of his cloak where, like on each and every Ispano, an energist was mounted. "Trade for help make seeress powerful." He pointed directly at the glowing, pink stone. Hitomi now wondered if the Ispano's energists powered their bodies.

Hitomi's heart and thoughts were racing. So they wanted to trade Van's knowledge and skills for their assistance.

"Let's do it," Hitomi said without further ado. What choice did they have, except to agree or go back home? 

Van turned to her and shrugged. "I suppose." He still didn't look thrilled.

"Ha! Good choice!" Dos exclaimed happily. As truly happy as an android could be, anyway.

"This is not what I had expected." Van absentmindedly touched the handle of his sword. 

They were lead by Dos now. Back through the hallway, onto a platform, into the 'lobby', outside, and into a different building where they were shown to a pair of rooms. They learned that the Ispano very seldom had visitors. It was only on special occasions that they invited customers from any of the planets they serviced to visit their base.

~~Zaibach~~

One of the sorcerers approached general Gain. "General. We have detected the energy signature of the Ispano mother ship."

General Gain tightened the grip on his walking cane excitedly. "Where?" This was most opportune.

"The capital of Fanelia." The sorcerer replied. "It is strange, however. Why would they require the services of the Ispano? Fanelia is one of the countries most ardently opposing the use of war machines."

"Because they are hypocrites! Probably secretly building an army!" Gain spat out loudly and twisted his face in anger. "If they want a battle, they may have it! Send dragons! Send dragons to Fanelia, Basram, and Egzardia. I am weary of dragging this out any longer. We need to strike now!" 

"How many?" The sorcerer asked him.

"As many as you can." Gain's mouth twisted into a smile that bordered on the insane. "I want all of your sorcerers to take control."

 **Tbc…**

Don't worry next chapter will cover everybody's whereabouts!

When I researched the Ispano/Yspano more, I found a cool nugget of info in the Wikia. The director of the show said the Ispano are actually androids created by the people of Atlantis. Mind. BLOWN! That explains their weird camera eyes! And get this: Their names correspond to the number of eyes they have. Whaaat? So. Wicked. Cool! I wish they had done more with this in the Anime. 

I'm a bit of a sci-fi nut so the story was always headed this way. Didn't guess that, did you? Only thing I did was I decided against using Japanese numbers (like the director said) and instead used Spanish because Ispano reminds me so much of España, the Spanish name for 'Spain'. 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Welp I wrote most of this sitting in a stuffy hotel room. Editing on my phone at airports and this update may be the last before the new year. Rest assured, I won't forget about this story but you know… holidays and all. It's going to take a while to find a place to live.

This chapter is Kur heavy.

~~The Shallow Sea near Egzardia~~

Kur felt reasonably uneasy at the helm of the Varie. Even though they were traveling close to the surface of the water and Gajeel was close by with a swarm of the merpeople, the wind general had a feeling of dark foreboding. The ill feeling confirmed itself when one of his soldiers lowered their telescope and pointed into the distance. 

_By the gods…_ He thought as the sky in the horizon seemingly turned black. It was neither the time of day, nor bad weather which caused this phenomenon, but an army of dragons. Their bodies darkened the sky like a bank of clouds before a thunderstorm. As if on cue, they spread out and dispersed more, traveling in all wind directions. 

_We are going to have company soon._ He mused grimly, raking a hand through his shaggy brown hair to create better sight for his eye. As he watched the soldiers outside ready their weapons, he locked the wheel in place to keep true to the intended course and joined them on the front deck, crossbow in hand.

The sea underneath was strangely calm. This, however, was not due to the weather and tides. The merpeople kept their realm calm when a battle was imminent, to provide better sight from underneath the waters. Their magic could tame or raise the waves according to their will. 

When a swarm of dragons drew nearer, one of them diverted straight towards the Varie, as expected. They were prepared and so were the merpeople. Kur fired a bolt from his crossbow as soon as the yellow beast came within range. The bolt implanted itself in its neck but only caused it to become more dedicated in its pursuit. 

More bolts and arrows flew at it, fired by his and Merle's soldiers. The electric energy cackling on its hide intensified as it dove deeper and began to concentrate its fire in the bladder low on its abdomen. The membrane began to glow dimly. As it became more luminous, another round of arrows was fired directly at the glowing center.

Some punctured the skin and caused a bit of it to leak. This spot on a dragon's body was more vulnerable than the neck. Kur aimed again and created another hole. While they were reloading, he suddenly heard a screeching cry and whipped his head around. "Hudson!" He yelled with a combination of surprise and relief. 

The majestic hawk had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. _You came to me once more._ His avian friend passed him in a nosedive and went straight for the dragon's eye. The beast was too large to swat Hudson away from its face. With furious speed, the bird attacked the dragon's eye using its huge, sharp talons. Far away in Zaibach, the sorcerer controlling it heaved heavily under the strain that the dragon's pain and fury put on the link.

After sufficiently damaging the dragon's eye, Hudson ascended high into the sky again. The yellow beast underneath writhed in fury as another mass of arrows rained down on it. Before he could fully regain his countenance, the waters on its left side rose in a massive wave. A wash of water and ice floe clashed onto the deck of the Varie in passing as the wave collapsed on top of the dragon.

Its crackling yellow scales hissed as the water touched the energy and suffocated it. With great effort, the dragon tried to shake the water off, but its weakened state didn't allow full body control. It crashed into the water with a loud splash and all Kur and his men saw was the long, spiked tail disappear into the depths as the merpeople pulled it down further.

Not much was seen from up above, except shadows under the water which were illuminated by the merpeople's magic trident attacks. Like a thunderstorm, the battle raged on in the depths of the water. The merpeople were vicious fighters and it wouldn't take them long to best the beast if it didn't drown first. 

The Zaibach sorcerer collapsed onto his knees in the large hall, unnoticed by everybody else. Spews of ice water forced themselves up the inside of his throat. He shook violently, trying to accommodate the volume, but it was too much. He shuddered as the water prevented him from taking a breath and sucked some of the water into his lungs in the process, drowning in a hall full of his colleagues far away from the body of water he had just seen himself in. 

"We have to press on," Kur announced to the soldiers on deck as he strode back towards the wheel and took control again. He pushed the levi stone dials to their highest setting and they heated up immediately, causing the Varie to gain speed. The fortress of Egzardia had been visible in the distance for a while, but now the matter of reaching it quickly became more important as several dragons could be seen attacking it. 

As they closed in on the rocky shores, a splashing thud towards the back of the ship caught Kur's attention. Gajeel's dripping form shuffled into the small room. "Some vicious beast this was." He muttered.

"Any casualties?" Kur asked.

"One," Gajeel grumbled. "It could have been worse, but in wise foresight I had three Sirens join the regular swarm." 

Kur nodded in understanding. He remembered what Van had told him about the Sirens. They were Repun's elite force of fighters and only worthy female warriors were able to join their ranks. Of course, he had never met any of them. They were said to keep to themselves and took vows which forbade them to mate and start families. This bit of information, in turn, had caused rumors about Sirens only taking each other as lovers. A rumor he knew to only be half true, considering the Fanelian king's recount of his diplomatic trips to Repun years ago. 

When they docked the Varie near the shore, a swarm of dragons was already attacking the Egzardian fortress. Several large and some small dragons of different elemental power were claiming the airspace above the Egzardian keep. The soldiers there were defending it from the walls and the ground as well as possible. A few small structures in the outer ring were being torn apart by red flames, but ice dragons very much unintentionally prevented it to spread with their own freezing fire. 

A long, elevated stone walkway wound itself through the tall, jagged cliffs all the way up to the castle. Normally, approaching ships were welcomed by an escort, either because of formal protocol or because the politics between Egzardia and the visitors made the precaution necessary. At this time, all available soldiers were engaged in battle, which allowed Kur, Gajeel, and their soldiers the convenience of docking so boldly in the open.

Under normal circumstances, a Fanelian ship arriving unannounced would have caused reason for precautions involving several armed guards. The group made their way up the walkway as swiftly as possible. Since the attacks were focused on the main structure of the stronghold, they were able to advance unnoticed.

The salty wind tore at Kur's hair and cloak as the group pressed on towards the gate. Any guards normally posted there had deserted their positions in order to assist the defense of their keep further inward. The group pressed themselves against the walls as a massive dragon circled above their heads. The beast's hide was a deep red. When fire dragons reached a certain age, the bladders on the front of their bellies no longer just produced fire, but large amounts of thick, searing lava. While attacks from ice or land dragons could gravely injure somebody, being hit by an ancient fire dragon's attack meant almost certain death.

As if on cue, the dragon spewed some of its lava across the archway, at an enemy out of the group's line of vision, and caused some of it to splatter directly into their intended path. Kur whipped his head around and looked at Gajeel's large form beside him. "Can you?"

"Yes." Gajeel simply replied and stared intently at the vast expanse of ocean in front of them. A swooshing sound approached as the tallest wave reached up from the shore beneath and crashed across the walkway. The sound of ice water on hot lava created a steaming hiss and caused them to hastily cover their faces in order to avoid breathing in the fumes.

After most of the smoke settled, Kur tested the solidified lava with one of his boots. When he was satisfied with the structural integrity of the rock, he made them press on. He was looking for a tower. A tower that looked like it was designed to hold bed chambers instead of one intended for defense purposes. This ruled out the towers in the fortresses outer ring and left the two in the middle.

A group of soldiers approached them, bows in hand. Immediately, the small group darted into the gap between two buildings. Their bodies were pressed tightly against the walls. A confrontation was not part of the plan. Miraculously, the soldiers passed their hiding spot without having taken notice of the strangers which had made their way into the castle grounds. Their metal armor and chain mail clanked loudly as they passed the Fanelian group. 

Kur inclined his head towards the inner area again. Unsure which tower was the best choice, he turned to the two soldiers Merle had sent with him. A short, slender girl with sleek, cropped, black hair and clever looking, blue eyes already stepped forward. "I will infiltrate the tower to the right and scout out the inside. If I find nothing, I will fire an arrow from the top window." She pulled a tight hood deep into her face and covered her mouth with a dark piece of cloth.

Dressed in the earth army's forest tones, and fabric covering her head and mouth, the small woman almost looked like one of Basram's sand tribe imps. The spring in her step was light as she silently disappeared into an alleyway, completely unnoticed by the frantic soldiers not far from them. It helped that they still were busy yelling over the noise of the battle and trying to coordinate counterattacks. Some of them looked as though they had half a mind to desert the fortress. 

Kur strained to keep an eye on the topmost window of the castle. He knew that it was far too early to expect to see the scout. Even in the heat of a dragon attack, the soldier could have encountered a foe motivated enough to deal with a foreign trespasser. Or worse even, she could already be dead. The part of their plan where they had to actually find Inanna was the one presenting the biggest uncertainty. Kur had a general idea about the layout of the castle from his sister's letter and descriptions, but she had never felt the need to exactly illustrate to him where her rooms were. 

Gajeel huffed impatiently next to him as another dragon passed over their heads, diving into an attack not far off. He was feeling like the metaphorical fish out of water, being forced to hide in the shadows. He flexed the fingers of his hand around the slim trident.

After what seemed like an eternity, the other earth soldier pointed at the tower. The tall, slim boy quietly exclaimed. "I see Jo. She made it." All heads shot up in unison and just as promised, an arrow embedded itself between the cobblestones close to them. "Why is she still standing there?" He questioned.

Another moment passed until they saw the women's shoulders hunch over the windowsill. As if in slow motion, her body slid across the ledge and plummeted towards the ground. Her small, limp form bounced off the side of the tower and then disappeared behind the roof of the building in front of it.

"No!" The young soldier exclaimed with a hand covering his mouth. An expression of shock was plastered onto his face.

The group collectively gasped in shock and Gajeel grumbled deep in his chest. "Now they know somebody is here. We have to get a move on."

Kur nodded grimly and they immediately exited the alleyway after checking for Egzardian soldiers. The noise of battle and the dragons circling over them only mildly distracted Kur from his mission. He led them through the streets with determination until a group of soldiers appeared from behind a small archway and marched their way.

"By Triton's beard!" Gajeel exclaimed. "I will handle this. You," he pointed at one of the three wind soldiers, "stay with me. Kur, take the rest of them and go."

Without questioning this command, Kur nodded and turned the next corner. As he was dashing towards a door not far from the second tower, he could hear the clanking of swords and the parry of Gajeel's trident. He turned his head briefly to see the merman spear a soldier's throat with the middle prong of his weapon.

Kur reached for the door he had randomly chosen, not knowing where it would lead. After he ushered everybody in, he quickly closed it behind himself and leaned back to take a deep breath. His eye was closed in thought. How were they going to get up the second tower? The Egzardian soldiers knew that there were other enemies in the fortress apart from the dragons now. They hadn't planned to fight their way through.

It was awfully quiet in the room, so he finally opened his eye and noticed that the group wasn't alone. Several women and two children gaped at them, eyes wide with fear and huddled together. "Please, spare us!" One of the women begged. Her arms were wrapped protectively around a boy no older than six winters.

The room they were in looked like a laundry chamber. Piles of bed sheets and clothing surrounded them. Due to the battles raging outside, no work had been done in a while. This was evident by the brushes and cleaning solutions which had been carelessly dropped in various places.

"We mean you no harm," Kur promised gently. "Please. I am here to find my sister. Can you help me find her? That is all we are here for." 

The women looked at each other and whispered quietly. "Who is your sister? We know the service ways."

"She…is the queen Inanna," Kur said with a sigh. 

The servants gasped loudly. "You can not take the queen. The king will have you killed!" One of the women said.

Kur's hands tightened into fists and the three soldiers with him tightened the grip on their weapons. "Please. I beg of you. I…I have to. I know the king does not treat her well. She is with child and might die giving birth. I have to protect my sister." He fell to his knees and braced his fists on his thighs as his head sank dejectedly.

"I will show you the way." A small voice announced.

The second little boy had stepped forward. It didn't seem like any of the women present was responsible for him. Kur looked into his young, dirty face and saw that the boy's eyes were full of determination.

"Come. We will take the service ways." He was already turning around and pushing his way through the group of women towards the back.

Kur and the others only hesitated for a second and followed as they disappeared through a dark doorway in the back and rushed through a maze of hallways. "What is your name? Why did you decide to help us?" Kur asked him.

The boy only turned his head briefly to look up at him. "My name is Chun." He said curtly. "I am helping you because I lost my sister not too long ago. An illness took her. I want you to save your sister because… I couldn't save mine." He simply said and turned another corner in the dimly lit system of hallways. "The queen is very kind to us although the king is not kind to her. Everybody knows it. She needs to be happy and smile." The small boy added sadly. 

"I can only bring you this far. The tunnels end here and lead into another hallway past the throne room. If anybody sees me with you, they will have my head." He pointed towards another door that had light emanating through the cracks between door and frame. Clearly, a better lit area was behind it.

Kur nodded his head and got down on one knee. "You have my thanks, Chun." He placed one hand on the boy's shoulder in a friendly gesture.

Chun ducked out from under Kur's hand and quickly scurried away into the dark hallway they had come from. His bare feet made soft thudding noises on the bare stone as he ran. The echoing sound slowly grew quieter as he disappeared.

The remaining earth soldier had moved over to the door and quietly peeked through it to get an idea of what was behind it. "We need to go to the left. I see the stairway, but we will have to pass two wide doorways likely leading to the throne room, as the boy described."

"Very well." Kur nodded as everybody joined the other soldier.

When they were about to open the door, a thunderous rumbling sounded that made the entire building shake. "An earth dragon!" One of the wind soldiers whispered urgently. "It could bring down the entire fortress. We need to make haste!"

Kur tore open the door and rushed into the hallway behind it. This one was decorated with tapestries and elaborate lighting. "Energist lamps." He murmured as he briefly glanced at the thin glass bulbs emanating a steady, bright glow with the help of the energist fragments inside. Clearly, the alliance with Basram was useful to Egzardia in regards to them sharing their advanced technology in exchange for supplying energists.

They stuck close to the walls as they moved towards the first opening. Both doorways seemed to be leading to the throne room, but this one was further away from the throne itself. Kur could not see who was inside, although he could hear some clanking noises from afar. _If I cannot see them, they cannot see me._ He concluded and motioned for his entourage to follow quietly as he traversed the distance towards the next wall.

The second doorway provided a much better view of the inside and he gasped angrily at what he saw. There he was, king Jekt himself was standing by a big table to the side of his throne high up on a dais, counting coin and living large. A tankard of mead was in his hand as he held a handful of gold. The bastard wasn't even outside aiding the defense of his own keep.

Why was the coward not out there fighting with his men? No guards were present, suggesting that they had either abandoned their king in order to assist their colleagues, or they had been ordered away by the king himself.

Kur gritted his teeth. His thoughts were becoming uncontrolled. Driven by his growing anger, he boldly walked into the throne room, all intents to be stealthy forgotten. "Coward!" He yelled and drew his sword and stopped below the dais.

King Jekt dropped his hand full of gold onto the table and turned around, tankard still in hand. His fiery red, full beard had bits of foam stuck to it and a bushy eyebrow was raised in disdain. "I was told that we had some intruders." A heavy cloak in the royal green colors of Egzardia trailed behind him. "Who are you and what do you want?" He demanded, slowly advancing to the edge of the dais.

"I came for my sister," Kur grumbled as he pointed the sword directly at the king. 

"Aah…A soldier in the colors of Fanelia here for a family reunion. " King Jekt laughed and took a sip from his mead. "Who might your sister be? Or should I ask, who might you be to so boldly enter my throne room and demand her?"

"This has nothing to do with Fanelia." Kur hissed. He was now angry at himself for getting another country involved in this. His foolish actions would have consequences for Fanelia unless... Nobody was supposed to know where they came from. In the preparations, nobody had thought to find clothing and armor that wouldn't give away their allegiance. "This is between you and me."

The king bellowed a laugh. "Is that so? Then I must repeat my questions. Who are you, and why do you think that I have what is yours?"

Kur took several more steps towards the dais, but the king quickly reached for a weapon at his hip. Kur had expected him to draw a sword, but the man pulled out something akin to a pocket-sized crossbow, only it had no arrows. Instead of solid ammunition, a hot beam of energy shot forth from its tip and singed Kur's sword hand through the fabric of his glove. The burning pain caused by the energy beam forced him to drop his sword. 

The three soldiers in Kur's party rushed in after him to assist but were quickly disarmed in a similar fashion. "I sent my guards to defend the fortress. With this, I do not need them here. Of course, I could not be out there myself. It is much too dangerous for the king to be in a battle." 

King Jekt fired another beam towards Kur from his energist weapon, pointing it lazily at the young man's legs. He collapsed and fell on his side. "How…. Why do you have this?" He panted, pressing his hand against the fresh wound on his calf to dull the pain. At least, the energist beam didn't cause bleeding wounds, it merely burned the flesh and cauterized it immediately.

"Beautiful technology, is it not?" Brilliant engineers in my wife's home country made it. He explained in true villain fashion as he slowly descended the stairs towards Kur, weapon still pointed at him. "I am growing quite tired of this. I do not care who you are anymore." He was about to pull the trigger, weapon aiming directly at Kur when the young man reached to grab his eyepatch with the uninjured hand. 

His body began to shake with a lazy chuckle, which caused the king to hesitate for a moment. Kur's demeanor had changed quite unexpectedly. "A long time ago, I was Basram's most advanced weapon." He smirked darkly as he pulled the eyepatch off with a swift flick of his wrist.

"That is… that is impossible…" King Jekt stuttered as he stared at Kur in utter disbelief.

The young man's good eye was narrowed in anger while the other side held a gleaming pink energist, polished to fit perfectly into the socket. "My sister was given to you against her will to unite our countries, but you treated her badly. Now you will pay!" He shouted as the energist began to glow brightly and a single concentrated beam of pure energy shot forward to strike the king down.

When Kur got to his feet, he saw wisps of smoke emanate from the hole in Jekt's forehead. His limbs were still twitching a bit, but Kur wasted no time watching. He moved to collect his sword and passed the three Fanelian soldiers who were staring at him in disbelief.

"Not to worry, Lord Van is aware of the monster I am. I have pledged to myself to not ever use my weapon for war again, but the situation left me no choice." He explained silently. 

The slender young man in earth army colors spoke first. "I can hear the rattling of armor. Guards are approaching. They may have heard the commotion in the throne room."

"Cover my back. I will go alone." Kur ordered as he began to swiftly ascend the stairs.

The Fanelian soldiers down below readied their weapons and stood waiting while the samurai general disappeared behind the bend of the winding staircase.

Kur's thoughts were racing. Would he come in time to save his sister? The lady Hitomi had told him her vision may be preventable and he dearly hoped that such was the case. The tower walls were bare except for more energist lamps and the one or other small window. When he passed the lower levels that held short hallways and doors, he ignored them. He had to make it all the way to the top.

As promised, the last door was not locked or barricaded. He simply turned the knob and opened it. It seemed irrational to keep the queen's chambers unguarded, but then he realized that Inanna's personal guard may have also been sent away to assist in the defense of the fortress. At that moment, another thunderous boom shook the entire structure and the tower wavered slightly. His body was pushed into the doorframe as he still held the door tightly. 

After the shock was over, a small female voice asked. "Who goes there?"

Kur regained his balance and finally pushed the door open wide to reveal himself. Inanna was huddled into the far corner, next to a window which she had been busy watching the battle through. Why had nobody bothered to bring her to a safer location? Kur regarded her for the first time in years. "Sister." Was all he could say.

Inanna's blue eyes were widened in shock. Her young face was pale, her rosy lips open in a small o of astonishment. Brown, wavy hair, similar to that of Kur's hung past her waist and shielded her almost like a cape. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her swollen belly. "Brother?" She gasped as she slowly shuffled towards him, not quite sure whether to believe her eyes.

Finally, Kur rushed to meet her and embraced her as fiercely as her condition allowed. "Thank the gods. Thank the gods! You are alive!" Tears of relief collected in his blue eye as he kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Why…yes. Why would I not be?" Inanna asked, unsure what the meaning of his words could imply.

"That is a long story I will tell you another time. For now, I just need to keep you safe. Are you all right? Did he harm you as of late?" Kur asked gravely.

She shook her head slightly. "No. Not since it is obvious that I carry his heir. But… how will we escape? He has an energist weapon from our homelands similar to your eye. He can kill…."

"He will harm no one ever again." Kur quietly said as he averted his gaze.

Inanna raised a hand to the side of Kur's head, looking at his energist eye sadly. "You used it…" She said quietly. "I am sorry you had to do that."

Oh, his beloved sister. Barely 16 winters and wise enough to know that taking a life, even that of a violent man, was not to be taken lightly. When striking down a foe in anger, a small part of them would forever haunt the one who took their life. He had seen it in Van, Gajeel, Darriah, and even Merle. None of them killed lightly or thoughtlessly. They all knew the consequences of their actions and more often than not paid for it in their dreams.

"Come. We have to hurry before the dragons destroy this place." Kur said and took Inanna's hand as they both hurried back down the tower.

~~Fanelia~~

Merle was perched high on top of the palace tower, eyes narrowed and surveying the sky in the distance. It was then that her suspicions were confirmed. The drums on the walls sounded announcing an imminent attack. The drums had been her idea. It was a system designed to alert the citizens of Fanelia, as well as all soldiers.

With feline grace, she descended the walls and headed for the defense structure surrounding the city via her usual route across the roofs. In her head, she was repeating the sequence of orders to give once she arrived at the walls. The city's defense was her primary responsibility in times of war. With the help of Darriah, they had enough strength and weapons to hold their own against a large army, but dragons were a whole other story.

Harpoons, stone catapults, flamethrowers, and crossbows. Those were the primary weapons suited for long-range attacks. If it came to close ranged combat, fire swords and spears would be used. The citizens of Fanelia forged their own weapons separate from the armies and would also be ready to defend the capital if needed. A fact Merle was glad to be sure of but deep down, she hoped it would not come this far. 

The catapults and harpoons were readied at Merle's command. Darriah had her flamethrowers and crossbow archers lined the walls and down below. They had to wait until the dragons were in range. Merle could already see a trio of electric yellows at the front. They circled around an unseen shape in the air. _There is something…..but what…_

Until the shield vanished to reveal a floating Zaibach fortress. _Oh, gods no!_ Her eyes widened in disbelief. They still had them after all this time. This one seemed to be an updated model. It was slightly smaller, and the levi stone that carried it was a lot sleeker and more narrow. The Zaibach empire had obviously not been idle when it came to perfecting the use of the levi capabilities.

As the fortress drew near enough, she could see a golden figure glowing behind the observation deck. _This must be her. Their empress Zita, but what does she want here?_ Merle thought desperately.

Inside the Zaibach fortress, Zita smiled as general Gain confirmed that the energy trail of the Ispano mother ship was found close to the castle. The sorcerers would be able to call it through the traces it had left behind. Zita's decaying side gave a painful throb. When they found them, the Ispano would mend her. They would **have** to, or else she would command the dragons to wipe out their whole ship. They would be able to mend her flesh by merging her with parts of their machines and make her more powerful than the high council of sorcerers ever thought. The grin on her metallic lips widened even more at the thought.

~~Ispano~~

After Van climbed from the guymelef hatch, Hitomi could tell he was in pain. For over a week now, he had fought the automaton multiple times a day. An Ispano by the name of Veintisiente with a staggering 27 camera eyes had collected Van on the first day and instructed him to fight the automated guymelef each morning. At least, Hitomi assumed it was morning but due to the vast blackness of outer space surrounding them, it was hard to tell.

Van had been given a guymelef to pilot and had been briefly intrigued upon seeing that it was similar to the model he couldn't take his eyes off in the factory ship. Hitomi was not as thrilled about it as him. The obsidian color of the melef's sleek body seemed to match the young king's personality. Hitomi, however, became more and sadder each time she saw him disappear behind its hatch. 

Although he had fought many battles in Escaflowne, its white body at least still had conveyed a more regal and pure intent. This black monstrosity, almost like a demon, was in no way a façade that gave any illusions towards its purpose. It was made to kill without hesitation, but so was the automaton. It was a perfect mirror image with the only difference of a solid, computer-driven core instead of a human pilot. 

Each bout had been followed by long periods of recalibrating and merging the newly acquired movements with the guymelef's program. On this particular day, the fights had been longer than usual. The guymelef was becoming too good for Van to beat him since he was, in some sense, fighting himself. In this last fight, the automaton had finally bested him. This was only because Van eventually had been too tired to continue. His breathing was labored as if he had just run a marathon. 

Hitomi rushed to his side in the domed arena and wrapped her arms around him carefully. "Van. Are you alright?"

"Yes." He panted, wiping a tangled mat of sweaty hair from his forehead.

She let him catch his breath for a few minutes. "Are you mad?" Hitomi finally asked carefully.

He quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Not at you." He sighed. It's just… this has been…much."

Veintisiente interrupted them with his excited voice. "Perfect! Automaton perfect! Fanelia good sword master!"

Van huffed. "Are we done then?"

The Ispano only nodded excitedly as he busily worked away at the control board, obviously fine-tuning the last data bits. 

Hitomi nodded to Van and they left the arena. The last few days, they had been trusted enough to find their way back to their set of rooms on their own. The Ispano had treated them fairly so far. A trail of goosebumps ran down Hitomi's spine as she thought about what awaited her tomorrow. They would fulfill their end of the bargain. She had been told by Dos about the process one evening when she was alone in her room, Van fast asleep on the other side of the wall and tired from a day of piloting the guymelef. 

She was convinced that Van would loathe them when he found out just what she had agreed to. It scared her, but there was no way around it now.

"I should wash up…" Van said quietly before he entered his own room to use the strange looking shower. He had seen them before in Asturia, where more modern plumbing was present in every room. Fanelian rulers had never needed such luxuries and he suddenly wished for a simple bath. 

He proceeded to peel the futuristic overall with the electrodes off himself. They were attached to the inside of the grey thing and read the movements and contractions of his muscles. He was sore from exertion and several fresh bruises were forming next to partly healed ones. Bumping around in a guymelef days on end was taking its toll on his body. Even his Draconian heritage which made him more resilient didn't seem to be able to keep up with it.

After the shower, he stretched his worn muscles and briefly sat on the bed. Hitomi and he would usually sleep in the same bed, but he had been careful to cover well so she wouldn't see how much of a toll the process was taking on him. She didn't need to blame herself for this or worry even more than she already did. Van allowed himself a moment to lay down and rest, but a few minutes later, he was fast asleep. 

Meanwhile, Hitomi did the same thing. After showering, she wrapped herself in the Fanelian dress she had foregone for the Ispano clothing with the dark cloak she had been provided in the past days. The Ispano had offered them all amenities they needed so far and she made sure to treat the creatures with the same amount of respect she would grant every other individual.

When Van didn't come to her like usual, she went to his room and immediately blushed at what she found. In what little light there was, she saw that he was nude. A surge of longing swelled in her chest and pooled deep in her belly. Even as intimate as they had been so far, she had never seen him completely sans clothing. Their current situation hadn't exactly inspired a lot of intimacy given the unfamiliar surroundings. 

His room was sparsely furnished, just like hers. A wide window high up on the wall offered a glimpse of outer space. Stars dotted the black expanse here and there. The artificial lamps outside shone a bright ray of light in the direction of the bed where Van was resting. One of his hands draped on his stomach as the other hung off the side of the bed. His head was turned to the side, face completely relaxed.

What if something went wrong tomorrow? What if this was their last night together? Hitomi frowned as she finally saw proof of what she had suspected. He was hurting more than he would let on. Obviously another stubborn attempt to deal with any kind of pain on his own. She clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Van stirred when he heard Hitomi and rubbed his eyes. He propped himself up on the pillows by the headboard and quickly remembered his state of undress. "Hitomi." He gasped when she approached him slowly.

She was pulling the obi of her dress loose. It sailed to the floor and the folds of the kimono fell apart to reveal that she was quite nude underneath. His eyes went wide as she approached the bed and stepped onto it almost casually, regarding him from above.

 **Tbc…**

A/N: **Chapter 12.5 is going to be a full on lemon**. If you feel uncomfortable reading those, step back and wait for chapter 13. No hard feels. I will split it up on purpose because of this and promise you won't miss anything of plot importance. Just wanted to write it anyway because that's what I do.

On a different note, have I mentioned before that Kur is modeled after Space Pirate Harlock? His tight bond with Inanna kind of was inspired by Ned and Lyanna in Game of Thrones.


	13. Chapter 12point5

A/N: Oops I couldn't sleep last night, so I wrote. As I mentioned, **this chapter is a lemon. The detailed kind. So if you are not old enough or easily offended by graphic descriptions of sexual intercourse, move along or wait for chapter 13.** Nothing that's important to the plot will happen so you won't miss out.

~~Ispano~~

Van was propped up on the pillows behind himself and Hitomi's chest swelled with pride when she saw the look on his face. He was staring at her with a mixture of boyish discomposure and raw need. The latter of which he had only allowed himself to show somewhat once, the night before they were brought here. She had had small tastes of it before when they kissed. He was hungry, passionate, and sometimes even urgent. However, he also seemed to be hesitant to give in fully.

Tonight, she wanted to feel everything that was Van. She wanted to drown in his desire and his touch without reservations. The air between them seemed to be charging, becoming warmer with each passing moment. Hitomi could feel his eyes roam skin that her open kimono left uncovered. The red fabric was still draped over her small breasts but exposed some of her well-shaped stomach and lower body. 

From his vantage point, Van could easily see the curls between her thighs and he gulped heavily as she veered one foot just enough to part her thighs more and grant him a perfect view. When had she become so audacious? There was no denying, he wanted her desperately, but especially in the last days there had not been much opportunity for intimacy, nor had they been in the right mindset to pursue it.

Van's face flushed slightly at the view she provided for him. His fingers were itching to dig into the soft skin of her inner thighs and his tongue wanted to taste her everywhere. Hitomi was beautiful in the red dress with the royal dragon embroidered along the hem. The shape of her body was silhouetted against the cold, artificial strip of light from the outside. Her short cropped hair was smoothed against her head and somehow, the line of her exposed neck was even more erotic than the shape of her abdominal muscles that were faintly visible under the skin of her midsection.

Hitomi was the first one to initiate their intimate encounter again. She couldn't wait any longer. Van looked like he was fighting his own desires again and she suddenly became jealous of the guymelef far away in the arena. She knew Van's capable hands showed no hesitation when it came to taking control of the machine. His fingers would wrap tightly around those levers and pulleys and she ached to feel them in the same way on her body.

Van's garnet eyes were wide as he watched Hitomi lower herself to straddle him. "Hitomi…" The last letter of her name was drawn out in a gasp as she wiggled gently in his lap.

She sucked a side of her bottom lip into her mouth as she rested her warm hands on his shoulders. One of them had a newly formed, dark bruise right on the front where the restraints of the pilot seat ran across the joint. Van groaned when she leaned over to place a soft kiss on the spot. His hands flew to her sides and he gripped her waist tightly through the fabric of the dress.

The firm grip on her midsection made Hitomi stiffen in surprise. "I'm…sorry. I didn't know how much of a toll this was taking on your body." She whispered.

"It's nothing." Van automatically replied and softened his grip on her.

 _Stubborn man._ Hitomi thought disapprovingly and brought one of her hands up to tangle her fingers in his wild, ebony hair. It was still damp from the shower, but this only served to intensify his scent. She breathed it in deeply as he tilted his head up to regard her. A dark shadow was visible on the lower part of his face. He had been provided with personal care items but obviously been too tired to shave tonight. 

The short stubbles of beard scratched her lips a bit when she brushed them across his mouth. "I need to be with you tonight, Van."

His heart skipped a beat at her words and actions and caused his grip on her waist to tighten again, producing a quiet moan in her throat. Van gasped as he became more aware of the sensations her lower body elicited in his lap from his own lower parts. His blood was boiling and slowly leaving his head. The warm area where her legs joined was rubbing against the length of him in between their bodies.

When she lowered her head again, he caught sight of her brilliant green eyes. They reflected her resolve and love for him. His lips took hers hungrily this time when she offered them to him again. Hitomi purred into his mouth as he claimed her passionately. Their moist lips were moving in a slow and lustful dance, and he savored her sweet taste like a heavy fruit vino.

Van's hands gently brushed across the folds of her dress and reclaimed their previous spot underneath the fabric this time. Her warm skin was so soft under his calloused fingers that he sighed at the feel of it. Hitomi took the chance and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth to bite and suckle on it gently.

This, in turn, caused Van to become bolder and he slid one of his hands around her to tightly grip one of the cheeks of her bottom. The damp lips between her legs were becoming slick against his hardened length and the feeling of his hot arousal made her squirm even more. 

He used his other hand to nudge aside the fabric of Hitomi's dress and bestowed slow kisses against her exposed breast. She moaned loudly as he engulfed a perked nipple with his mouth. Finally, she could feel his ministration without a cotton barrier between them. His tongue tickled her sensitive nerve endings and the sensation made warmth spread all the way to her fingertips and caused her toes to curl. 

Her hand was fisted in his hair and she almost pulled him back against her when his mouth stopped the caress. Her nipple was moist and sore from his lips and teeth but ached to be stroked by his hot tongue again. 

She was about to protest when Van turned his head to the side and leaned in to begin kissing her neck. Hitomi tilted her own head in response to what his warm lips were doing. Her hands wandered down his neck and chest and she slowly raked her nails across his muscles, leaving faint pink streaks on his olive skin.

As one of his hands was still massaging the side of her waist, the one on her buttock moved closer and closer down towards her center. Van pulled her tightly against himself to reach her wet folds with his fingers. He casually dragged them through her sticky arousal near his hard shaft and grinned as he enjoyed her moaning his name when he passed them over that sensitive bundle of nerves towards the front.

Van gave in to her quiet craving sounds and continued to stroke the nub with the tip of a finger. She squirmed and writhed under his touch. By now, her back was moist with sweat from the heat of lust collecting under the fabric hanging off her shoulders.

Hitomi gasped sharply as Van pulled away both of his hands to push the dress off her shoulders. Her arms slid out of the sleeves as Van carelessly flung it aside. The sudden loss of warmth on her back created a trail of goose bumps on her skin, but it soon subsided when his gentle hands slowly rubbed her back. The calluses on them made her shiver and she arched her back into his touch.

The fire between her legs was untamable now and she slowly moved her hands low between their bodies. Shifting slightly, she pulled his hardness from below her and smiled at the feeling of his hot flesh in her small hands. She looked at his shaft and was mesmerized at the sight of his arousal in contrast with the rippling muscles of his abdomen.

Van hissed her name and she tightened her grip on him and used her thumb to massage the tip. He was slick with the juices between her legs and she used it to aid her hand's up and down movement on his length. The fingers of her other hand were digging into his tricep as he held her backside tightly. His grip pulled her buttocks apart and she felt the sensual tug all the way to her wet folds. 

She couldn't wait any longer. She wanted to feel him wholly, to have his hard length buried deep inside of her and savor the most intimate connection their bodies were capable of. Hitomi rose to her knees and slowly guided him towards her wet opening. Van threw his head back in a soundless moan as he penetrated her slick opening. She was tight but so ready for him. Her hot walls engulfed his hard length and he couldn't help but pull her down against himself fast, not able to resist feeling the sensation completely. 

Hitomi stifled a sharp moan as Van's hardness filled her to the hilt. She braced herself on his shoulders again, gripping the newly injured bruise a bit too tightly. The combination of pain and pleasure made Van's hold on her tighten even more. Then, he slid one of his hands around to the back of her thigh and the other to the small of her back, lifting her up halfway along himself. His mouth found the nipple he hadn't bestowed attention to yet.

Hungry lips engulfed it greedily and his tongue flicked across it in frenzied motions. Hitomi whimpered as he bit down on it hard. Her knees buckled and she sank back onto his lap, engulfing his hardness once again.

"I….apologi…" Van mumbled in a daze, but she cut him off with a kiss that was almost desperate.

Their tongues found each other and tangled in his mouth. When Hitomi pulled away, she pressed her forehead against his and quietly said. "Quit being sorry, Van. I want everything you are willing to give."

All he could do was nod slowly against her head and kissed her again, more demanding this time. Hitomi's hips were gently rocking against him on his lap and she was enjoying the feeling of his hard length inside of her. Her wetness was at its peak and her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as she realized that Van had aroused her more than any man before.

"Hitomi…I need to…." Van pushed her off himself and she gasped at the loss of him inside of her. He pushed her onto her back and kneeled between her legs now. Hitomi pulled her knees up some when cool airbrushed her wet folds, but soon closed her eyes when Van's warm hand found her inner thigh and brushed across the soft skin there. 

"…I want to taste you." He said in a low voice full of desire.

Hitomi opened her eyes again to look at him. His dark bangs were covering his eyes almost completely but she could see that he was focused on hers. His erection was wavering lazily in the space between their legs as he moved. She gasped when his fingers found her center again and even more loudly so when two of them penetrated her. 

She loved the feel of his hand and fingers pleasuring her almost as much as the brief intrusion of his hardness. All too soon, his fingers retreated again. Hitomi had no time to react because his hands were both on the insides of her thighs now. His rough fingers stroked the silky skin there and slowly pushed her legs apart more to make room. He was now directly looking at her most intimate parts and it felt as if his gaze alone was penetrating her again. 

When his head was between her legs, Hitomi wailed in ecstasy. Van dragged his tongue back and forth between her silky folds lazily. She tasted of raw arousal and it made him want to push his shaft into her painfully hard, but he resisted the urge in lieu of her prolonged pleasure.

The tip of his tongue circled around her pleasure spot and it made Hitomi respond with a series of small, high pitched sounds of enjoyment. Van slowly let his fingers join his tongue and gently traced them around her opening while the wet appendage continued its caress on the small bundle of nerves. She was panting by the time his fingers filled her again almost teasingly slow.

Hitomi moaned his name loudly when his fingers dug into her deeply and a third finger stretched her to the bounds of comfort. One of her legs was draped over his shoulder while the other writhed and tangled in the sheets beside them. Van withdrew his hand at the pleading sound of his name and pushed himself back up to hover over her. 

Hitomi's eyes were clouded with passion and one of her hands was fisted in the blanket next to her while the fingers of her other hand were splayed across her mouth. One of the fingers was between her lips, and she was sucking and biting on it. The erotic display short-circuited Van's brain. 

He grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled the hand from her mouth only to crush his own lips against hers. Her wrist twisted and turned in his grip as he pushed it tightly against the mattress next to her head. His lips were devouring her hungrily, nipping and even biting, causing Hitomi to whimper again. His tongue was pushing against her mouth, coaxing her to do the same and she complied eventually. Van's hard arousal was trapped between their bodies and Hitomi could feel it pushing into her belly as if demanding attention.

Any pain she felt only added to the pleasure his kisses and body against hers elicited. When he pulled away, they looked deeply into each other's eyes. "I love you." Hitomi breathed, touching the side of Van's head gently with her free hand. "I...want you so badly." She added.

Van nodded and released her wrist from his vise grip. He brought her hand down between them and placed an almost chaste kiss on the backside before letting it go. "I love you, Hitomi." He whispered, his voice thick with passion.

With that, he braced his arms next to her body and slowly guided his hard shaft into her overflowing center again. Hitomi immediately felt whole once more. His slow movements became faster and more insistent until she was moaning his name again. "Van…more…please…" She panted.

He complied and drew his knees up under the back of her thighs, which caused her legs to spread wide, almost as if she was back in his lap. The different angle allowed him to bury himself inside of her deeply. Hitomi's legs were bent up high, her toes barely grazing the sheets as he pushed into her hard and deep. One of his arms was wrapped around the small of her back to lift her backside off the sheets and allow for more direct thrusts. 

Van was slowly losing control. Hitomi felt incredible in his arms. Her hot, wet cave was causing the most pleasant friction on his length. He was fighting to keep up the movement that was obviously causing her great pleasure. The tip of his hardness was pushing against a spot inside of her that made her moan with each thrust of his hips. 

The pressure in Hitomi's belly was building slowly as he drove into her with hard, steady movements. Her fingers dug into his lower back and urged him to keep the pace as her legs wrapped around his waist. When she tumbled over the edge of ecstasy, Van refrained from following her. He was content to savor the expression on her face as her walls contracted around him.

Hitomi's lips were parted slightly as her unfocused eyes gazed upwards. Van kept still until she resurfaced from the foggy state of mind. He drew one of his thumbs across her cheek and placed a soft kiss on the edge of her mouth. "Van that… I…ah!" She exclaimed as he slowly began to move again inside of her.

He silenced her with a hungry kiss and built up a more quick and intense pace inside of her. The soft spot his hard tip had been massaging inside of her was now more swollen and susceptible to the friction. Her legs wrapped around him again as she rode the new waves of pleasure he created. It didn't take long until he pushed her over the edge again.

Right when her heart calmed again, he repeated his actions once more. This time, she almost came again instantly. Hitomi's nails were digging into his back as if holding on for dear life. The way he made her explode again and again was unlike anything she had experienced before. When her legs fell from his sides, he pulled himself from her. She gasped silently as he gently pulled her into a sitting position and coaxed her into facing the wall behind them.

Hitomi was sitting on her knees right in front of him as he leaned in to draw his lips across her shoulders and upper back. His hands found her waist again and she groaned when he gripped her firmly and pushed her upwards. She obediently rose into a kneeling position and her hands splayed on the metal wall in front of her.

Van was insatiable in his explorations and seemed to want to possess her in every way he knew. His hands traveled across her ribcage around to the front of her chest and rubbed across her sore, perked nipples. The sensation made the spot between her slick folds tingle again and as if he knew it, one hand descended to stroke it gently. His painfully hard length was bobbing against her buttocks while he enjoyed the soft cries his actions caused.

He picked up his name breathed softly from her lips a few times until he seemed satisfied. Van positioned himself behind her again and entered her slowly, holding onto her buttocks firmly in the process. Hitomi had never let a man take her this way, but she didn't have a mind to question Van's demands, especially in her pleasure drunken state.

His upper body emanated heat against her back as a hand found one of her nipples again and the other returned to the spot between her legs that made her cry out in pleasure. This time, his thrusts were slow and gentle as more of his attention was focused on rubbing the bundle of nerves sitting in her wet curls.

He pulled his hard shaft out all the way each time before pushing it back into her slowly. The sensation of being invaded over and over again, together with his fingers rubbing her deliberately made her mind foggy and caused her to moan incessantly. Hitomi panted and moaned when another wave of pleasure washed over her. She instinctively grabbed the hand on her lower parts and pushed it against herself to show him how to draw out the feeling longer. Not that he had needed any hints on how to please her properly until now. 

When he pulled his still hard length out of her again, his hand remained between her legs and cupped her hot center gently. The warmth of his touch made her sink back into his body and he held her for a moment until lowering her onto the sheets beside himself. He saw the wet, swollen lips between her legs glisten in the dull light. Hitomi stared at the wall across from her before turning her head to look at Van.

His muscular form was still tense with arousal. He had been so determined to please her that he had disregarded his own need for release again. Van's head was hanging low as Hitomi watched his upper body rise and sink under deep and steady breaths. She blushed anew when one of his hands gripped his erection firmly. It was still slick with her wetness and made the up and down movements of his hand glide effortlessly along his hard shaft.

Van pressed his lips together tightly when he touched himself just like the night he had awoken after Hitomi had evoked the first thoughts of sexual tension in him. It had been after she watched his fight in the barracks that he couldn't find rest alone in his bed. He wasn't easily sated, especially when it came to her, but forcing himself into her once more now could begin to cause her more pain than pleasure. He could wait. There was much to be enjoyed together once the time came.

Hitomi's soft hand sliding over his caused him to snap out of his current train of thoughts. Her green eyes looked at him questioningly as they held his hardness in their hands together. She had moved into a kneeling position and now leaned up to kiss his lips softly. The leg closest to her was stretched out in front of him as his other knee was bent slightly. Her free hand was braced between his legs as she had approached him from the side.

Van felt her pull his hand from his shaft only to replace it with her own. Her soft hand gripped his hot flesh firmly as her mouth continued to rub against his in a slow, passionate kiss. When her mouth abandoned his, he opened his eyes. They had closed on their own accord when her warmth overpowered his senses.

He found her head near his lap and gasped sharply when her moist lips engulfed the tip of his hardness. Never would he have expected Hitomi to offer him this kind of pleasure. One of his hands roughly gripped her head as his fingers wove into her short cropped hair. He couldn't help himself but twist and pull at it as she began to slide her mouth up and down his length, sucking and licking him in the process.

The hand he was leaning onto behind himself failed him and he had to support his weight on his lower arm instead. A bunch of sheets was fisted in his grip as he groaned loudly. His other hand, which was still on Hitomi's head, guided her movements. She undeniably was no expert at this sort of game, but her hot, wet mouth sent him over the edge soon.

Van was about to pull her away from his quivering shaft, but Hitomi wanted to feel and taste his eruption. His hot release filled her mouth and she savored it. Her name was on his lips as she felt his back fall against the mattress in exhaustion.

Hitomi let Van pull her up close and turn her so that he was behind her, spooning her body with his own. They wrapped themselves in a cocoon of loose sheets and their own warmth and soon after, sleep claimed them.

 **Tbc…**

A/N: Ok maybe I got a bit carried away with this, but hey I was in the mood and my muse was eager. Muwahaha! I've always wanted to write a lemon and I'm a sexual person so there was always a going to be a lemon at some point.

On that note, I am thinking about writing a few chapters related to this story; one being about Van's affair with the mermaid. Lots of steamy stuff there, no doubt. Sound like something you would read? I already have some notes about it on my phone, but wouldn't do it until the main story is done.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: This chapter is on the short side since I don't have as much time to write right now. It's also where the general outline I made stops. From then on it's all kind of yolo, so do hold on tight. Not to worry though, I'm very good at winging it when it comes to assignments and life in general so I'm confident for this.

 **Divinelysweetambrosia6:** Because you asked, yes I do want to write more about my other story also, but I need to finish the main storyline for this one first. After that, I'm either going to write a few chapters about what happened before Hitomi came back (Van/ Mermaid, how Kur and Van met, and about the creation of Empress Zita). Not sure what I want to do first yet. Maybe both. **Edit:** yes this is in reference to your review of ‚Unspoken'.

~~Ispano~~

Hitomi stirred under the arm Van had loosely draped across her. Its weight was comfortingly heavy on her stomach. She had shifted onto her back at some point during the night and his head was closely nestled against the side of hers. Another arm was behind her head under the pillow. His deep, steady breaths were tickling her cheek as she watched his solid chest rise and fall beside her.

Their pleasure filled night was immediately fresh in her mind when she felt her lower body throb and the thought caused her cheeks to grow hot. Hitomi was relieved that Van had had enough willpower to not finish inside of her. She knew this was no guarantee, but it helped her worry less about a possible pregnancy in these dangerous times. Really, they had not talked about the future and any element of uncertainty in their relationship yet. There was no question that they were in love, but Van had carefully refrained from asking her about any possible intentions to return to the Mystic Moon so far. 

Hitomi was even more grateful for his hesitation in those regards. It demonstrated honest consideration for the importance she placed on her responsibilities back at home. He didn't take for granted that she would stay here- didn't take **her** for granted. The school would have found a substitute coach by now, but having left without notice was sure to have risen many questions and concerns in her track team. These thoughts unquestionably made her gloomy, not to speak of what her family would think. It seemed like no matter the choice, she would have to leave people behind in either place.

Van, however, didn't know that she had thought about their relationship extensively already. Hitomi had started contemplating it the day they both confessed their love to each other. There was no place in the universe she could ever see herself becoming completely happy other than by Van's side. All seemed well and easy, but it likely was not going to be. She turned her head carefully so she could look at Van's face.

His lips were relaxed and parted slightly. Disheveled bangs covered his forehead and closed eyes, while dark lashes rested high on his cheeks. She pushed some of his hair away and it caused him to stir and twitch. The muscles on his arm across her midsection and under her head tightened as he stretched languidly.

As he woke gradually, Van reinforced his grip around Hitomi and savored the feel of her soft body next to his. Countless nights and days had been spent thinking about the girl from the Mystic Moon since she left him. Many nights he had spent awake, yearning for her presence. In contrast with finally making love to her, any and all other past sexual roguery on his part meant very little to him.

Van was proud of the pleasure he had been able to cause her. The wonderful woman in his arms had been entirely his then. She had moaned his name in response to his caresses and even returned them in a most intimate way using her mouth. Hitomi's smooth skin radiated warmth as he skimmed his hand up higher to nudge her onto her side so they were facing each other. His garnet eyes locked with hers lovingly.

"Hey. " Hitomi gently greeted him.

The corner of Van's lips curled up into a content smirk. "Hey. " He repeated back to her. 

One of her arms was trapped by their bodies, folded up in between them while the other rested low on her hip. Van pressed his own body tightly against hers and captured Hitomi in a soft kiss. She sighed as he rubbed his lips against hers leisurely. Van's hand on her ribcage was caressing her tenderly, the thumb moving back and forth across the side of her breast.

Touching the creamy mound of her small breast made him think again about how different she was. She was special, strong and confident in her body. He had gotten aroused by her already as a teenager, the sight of her lean figure and legs making his young brain spin in wild circles. But it hadn't been just her looks. Hitomi had entirely captivated him, especially with the way she treated him as if he wasn't royalty. She didn't bow or shy away from his temper but met it with equal force. Back then, he had compensated with gruff comments and a standoffish attitude, effectively hiding how much he desired her. 

Having her long, lithe legs finally wrapped around his waist as he buried himself inside of her over and over again had been the pinnacle of his cumulative fantasies. His need for her rose again when her hand traced the length of his arm and clamped down on his shoulder.

A deep groan escaped Van as her soft breasts brushed across his chest. With a gentle shove, Hitomi pushed him onto his back. He held her smaller form on top of himself carefully as she straddled him. Their kisses continued to be slow and gentle, tongues twisting around each other as Hitomi caressed the muscles on his shoulder and chest.

All too soon she pulled back, eyes big as ever. Hitomi studied the gorgeous man below her. He still looked tired, the faded scars and fresh bruises on his upper body and arms a testimony to the sacrifices and hardships he had overcome for the benefit of Gaea. She touched gentle fingers to the side of his face. If only they could stay like this forever.

Before Van could reach for her hand, she climbed off him and left the bed. "It's time to go see Dos." She mumbled as she slowly picked up her dress and pulled it around herself. Van found his breeches and closed the ties on the front after putting them on. He walked over to Hitomi and placed a hand on her shoulder. Just a moment ago they had been completely content, but now her mood seemed to have changed. Van decided that he finally needed to know something.

When she turned around, a seemingly bright smile was on her face. "Hitomi, I have been wanting... there is something I want to ask you. " His hand slowly dropped from her shoulder and he took both her hands in each one of his. "When this is all over, will you stay? " His thumbs were rubbing small circles on the back of her hands as he spoke. "Stay with me."

Her beautiful face was close to his as he pulled her hands to the left side of his chest, covering them with his. "My heart is yours. It has been for a long time. When Gaea is at peace and when you are ready, will you...marry me? " There it was. He had finally mustered up the courage to ask her. He had put his deepest desire into words, but even despite knowing her feelings, he was nervous to hear the answer. The fast pace of his thumping heart under Hitomi's hands was a testimony to it.

Van's intense gaze was fixed on her. His head was bent down towards her and his deep red eyes shaded by ebony hair were full of hope and longing. He wasn't completely sure what it was that he saw on Hitomi's face. Sadness? Reluctance? Maybe it had not been the right time, but by the gods, he needed to know if there was true happiness to look forward to. He needed to know if there was something else worth fighting for other than the country and people he had been destined to rule.

"When this is all over..." Hitomi quietly said, "...and if... Van... there is nothing I want more." She finally answered, her smile finally reached her eyes too as she spoke these words.

Having heard her answer, Van was able to finally release the breath he had been holding. "Ever since you went into the heart of Zaibach to confront Dornkirk, I knew there was no other woman who could ever rule Fanelia by my side." At this moment, Hitomi noticed with a content smile, he looked truly joyful. 

Regardless, her head swam a bit now. _Queen of Fanelia...me. I knew this would be part of the deal, but now that he actually said it, it sounds so unbelievable._ She thought on this for a brief moment before one of Van's hands cradled the back of her head and pulled her close once more. Their lips found each other in a familiar embrace again.

Veintisiete was already waiting for them when they left their quarters. He seemed excited and animatedly waved his short arms at them. "Follow." He commanded and lead them all the way back to the main building they had come to when they first arrived.

The sleek platform took them back up and through the long hallway where the Ispano laboratories and workrooms were. All the while, the Ispano was raving about how well the automaton had processed the sword skills Van taught him. They were very pleased with how their end of the bargain had turned out. Hitomi seemed to shrink more and more next to Van as they neared their destination, and her shoulders slumped slightly.

When they were lead into a set of rooms off to the side, Veintisiete addressed Van. "You stay here. Stay in teatro." The Ispano pointed at the wall next to them which was made out of thick glass. Behind it, a very sterile looking room was occupied by a flat, metal table and several instruments of unknown purpose were suspended from the ceiling.

Van wasn't sure what this meant, but before he could ask, Hitomi turned to him. She leaned up to place a quick kiss on his lips and said. "I love you. Sorry." She quickly bolted across the room and through the open sliding door, which clanked shut behind her.

Now the dark feelings of foreboding he had been ignoring for days accumulated like a waterfall in his stomach. "No! What are you doing?" He yelled and sprinted to the door, pounding his fists against it furiously. The door didn't budge and neither did Van. Not until he saw movements behind the glass next to him.

Van's eyes went wide in shock when he saw Hitomi pass him, completely sans clothing. Her soft curves contrasted bizarrely with the hard lines and metal surfaces of the room. " **No!** What is happening!?" He screamed even more loudly as he now hammered against the window.

 _I'm sorry Van. I knew you would never agree to let me do this. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you._ Hitomi thought ruefully as she moved onto the table. Cold metal on the back of her legs made her feel the finality of her decision. She glanced at Van one last time before lowering herself onto the table. He was just as frantic behind the glass as she had expected him to be, fists pounding against it uselessly and face pulled into a grimace of confusion and anger.

The room was soundproof, so she was spared from hearing his furious cries. Everything became even more surreal when a group of Ispano entered. They had also removed their clothing in order to keep the environment sterile. 

Even with two camera eyes, Dos looked far from human now. All of the Ispano androids looked the same, with the exception of their eyes. When seeing them with their cloaks, one could think them plump, but it turned out that this shape was created by their wide, round shoulders. Bodies entirely made out of metal, gears, and screws seemed to be modeled after a basic human form, but with disproportionately short legs and a long torso, as well as long arms. The energists which seemed to hold their cloaks were actually embedded into the front of their chests.

The ancient people of Atlantis had created the Ispano as a group of workers. They were artificial beings with the purpose of performing work and carrying heavy things. Their heads were simple ovals which held their lens eyes and the thin filament sensors that looked like whiskers. Between the thin sensors, a perfectly round opening gaped in their heads like a mouth.

So this was why the Ispano cloaked themselves and wore the surgical masks. They were hiding their true looks. No doubt, their grotesque appearance would scare just about anyone. Hitomi was briefly glad for having seen the one or other science fiction movie. It helped her digest what she saw more easily. She reminded herself of the hospitality they had extended towards Van and her and of the discussion with Dos she had had late one night.

The Ispano were not dangerous. This was simply how they were made. The procedure she was about to undergo was complicated. They had managed to engineer carbon-based organisms before, but performing these operations was still far from a routine for them due to the rare occasion of having a subject available. A large risk was associated with them, not to mention the fact that, thus far, there was no way to reverse it. 

Van watched in horror as the surreal beings surrounded Hitomi. One of them reached upwards to the cluster of instruments and pulled a long, thin tube topped with a needle from its opening. He punctured Hitomi's lower arm with it and a yellow, synthetic liquid pushed itself through the inside. Within moments, her eyes closed and she was sedated.

"Damn Hitomi! What are you letting them do to you?!" Van yelled. His gloved hands were pressed flat against the glass. 

He was reduced to simply watch the procedure. The glass didn't shatter no matter what he did to it, and the doors on either side wouldn't open. No vents or other openings presented a way to escape and reach the other room.

When he threw himself against the glass again anyway, one of the Ispano focused his lenses on him. The creature moved around the table and towards the side of the glass wall. He pushed something on the side and the glass fogged up. Its new, milky surface prevented Van from seeing any more.

" **No!** " Was all he could blurt out. He sank to his knees and a few angry tears escaped his eyes. He had not felt this powerless in a long time. His thoughts were racing. Hitomi must have known what was in stow for her when they came here this morning. How long had she known? Was this why she came to him last night? He scolded himself for not noticing anything different about her behavior. He should have known, should have sensed that she was troubled.

He continued to blame himself as he settled against the far wall. The only comfort he felt was the scabbard of his sword in his grip. He leaned against the weapon like he always did when brooding, thinking about what to do when he could finally get out of this chamber.

It seemed like an eternity to him before the doors hissed and slid open. An Ispano fully cloaked again, entered and Van sprang to his feet. He rushed to draw his sword and aimed it directly at the Ispano's face. "What did you **do** to her?" Van demanded heatedly, all sense of reason and diplomacy cast aside. 

The Ispano raised his unarmed hands. "Agreement complete. Seeress ready." He simply said. One hand moved in a backward gesture as he stepped aside to grant Van passage. He growled at the Ispano briefly before sheathing his sword and pushing past its form into the room towards the back. 

It was a dark room in between the one the procedure had taken place and the teatro he had been waiting in. A sort of preparatory chamber, he concluded. The dimly lit room was just as sparsely furnished as everything else. Hitomi's dress was folded on the workbench towards the side. He scanned the room and finally noticed a pink glow in the middle of the room.

"Van?" Hitomi's soft voice cautiously asked.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the low light and he finally saw her. She was sitting hunched over on another metal table, head hanging low.

Van crossed the distance between them in a few short strides and placed his hands on her shoulders firmly to push her into a more upright position. Her head snapped upwards and then he saw where the pink glow came from. It took his breath away. His eyes were wide open as he took in the change.

"What have they done…" He breathed quietly as he scanned her.

A pink energist, exactly like those of the Ispano, was implanted in her chest. The skin around it was singed, having been cut away with a beam of energy to accommodate the foreign object. It jutted out from atop her sternum in between her breasts. A small, metal filament surfaced on one side and snaked across her skin to where it disappeared back down below her left breast as if reaching for her heart. 

A strip of hair on the left side of her head, right above her ear and reaching all the way to the back of her neck, was shaved. The short cropped hair around it was slightly disheveled. Several more, thin, golden cables protruded from the side of her head and the base of her neck. They joined into one and were molded into her skin, trailing around her neck and disappearing into her chest just above her left breast, also boring into her to reach her heart.

Van's hands were hovering above her left ear and the energist on her chest, afraid to touch or in some way hurt her. "How… what is this?" He gasped.

"It powers me…or my abilities to be precise." She explained in a surprisingly unwavering tone. "I feel so strong, Van." The color of her eyes seemed to have intensified. "I… I can't do anything here because there aren't any living organisms except for you and me, but I should be able to control everything a lot more easily now."

Van shook his head slowly as he listened to her state the facts in the most simple and neutral tone. Was she not in pain? Could she not see that they had surgically implanted a number of artificial elements into her? She seemed unshaken by all of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I knew you would never agree to this." She stated apologetically.

"Agree?" Van exclaimed breathlessly. "If I had known, we would have never even come here." He growled. "Look what they have done Hitomi!" He reinforced his point by finally covering the energist with his hand.

"Please forgive me," Hitomi said, not breaking their gaze. "I can save Gaea now." 

"Thermal bandages." A mechanic voice said behind them, as one of the Ispano who had assisted the surgery now entered the room.

Hitomi obediently reclined on the table and Van took a step back as several white strips of cloth shot out from the sides of it. The thick bandages covered small areas on her thighs and upper body, as well as encasing her beasts and intimates like a base layer of under clothing.

After Hitomi rose, she padded over to Van and looked at him apologetically. "Are you mad at me?"

She had asked him this almost every day since they were here and the fact that she seemed to be worried about his temper in this situation made him feel exceptionally awful. It was Hitomi who was making this sacrifice and she had bravely walked into this procedure without any signs of fear or hesitation. It had not been his choice, but hers.

"I am not…" He finally sighed as he left her side. When he returned, he was holding her red Fanelian dress and held it open for her, so she could slide her arms into the sleeves. She let him help her wrap the dress around her slender form and tie the obi carefully. The soft shoes she usually wore were close by. Dressed again, she looked almost normal except for the side of her head.

Hitomi reached for Van's hand and squeezed it in an attempt to comfort him. "We have to go now. The dragons have begun their attacks across all countries. I can feel it. We don't have much time."

Van was immediately concerned. There was no telling where Kur and Gajeel were at this time. Hitomi and he had been in the Ispano realm for twelve days now, which meant twelve hours had passed back on Gaea. If the mission to rescue Kur's sister had been successful, they could be on their way back to Fanelia now. This meant that Merle and Darriah were still alone and solely responsible for coordinating the defenses. The worry for his adopted sister added on to everything that was on his mind already. Hitomi and Merle, the two most important people in his life, were ready to fight bravely but he didn't know how to protect them. The thought threatened to drive him insane. 

**Tbc…**

A/N: Inspirations for this chapter: Elysium and The Fifth Element.

I considered for a long time about if Hitomi should get an energist that was fully operational by itself, or if Van had to establish a blood pact with her via the pendant, just like with Escaflowne. In the end, I decided to do it this way because Van already sacrificed himself a long time ago. It's Hitomi's turn now.

Teatro – Spanish for theater/viewing room. It's what the Ispano would call the non-sterile room next to an operating suite where others are able to watch a surgery being performed. 


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Ok I have an outline now for the end. Not gonna lie it looks pretty bad, but who knows. After this chapter, just one more and possibly an epilogue.

 **Divinelyswetambrosia6:** Well, one gets spoken to directly if one reviews as frequently and well thought out as you do. =) You're right, the energist in Hitomi's chest is more similar to Tony Stark's Arc Reactor, but truthfully I hadn't even thought of that although I'm a huge Marvel nerd. This part was inspired by 'Elysium' with Mark Walberg. That movie and the mods, as well as all the stuff he goes through actually, made me a bit sick to the stomach but it was awesome nonetheless. By the way, yes I was referring to my other story ‚Unspoken' in my last notes to you. **Edit:** You're totally right it's Matt Damon. I seem to mix those two up often. hah!

~~On the Ispano Ship~~

Hitomi stood at the window staring into outer space. Everything there was peaceful and quiet. Distant stars dotted the black expanse and she wondered what it would be like to float in the vast sea of nothing. No decisions demanding to be made and no worries. Just floating. As serene and peaceful outer space was, her insides were a maelstrom of emotions and thoughts.

She had kept her distance from Van since they left the Ispano city, not sure if she dared to find out how exactly he felt about her decision. Surely he would have a strong opinion about it, to say the least. She breathed as calmly as possible. She was so hypersensitive to everything now, especially when her heart rate rose. She felt every particle in the air, every disturbance, and every living being around her. Being that the Ispano were androids, Van and her were the only ones right now.

Thanks to her upgrade she could also feel Van's turmoil, but she was afraid to reach further into it. It was the only thing she dreaded more than what they needed to face once they returned to Gaea. She had gone behind his back and made a decision that was sure to affect not just her, but both of them and she feared the consequences no matter how much she was convinced that this was the right choice.

Her body grew rigid when she felt Van's mass of brooding energy approach her from the other side of the room where he had been sitting against the wall. There was furniture in the room, including a comfortable looking couch, but when Van felt as entirely distressed as now, he still preferred to sit on the floor, sword resting between his knees and tightly held in his fist for comfort.

When he placed a gentle hand on Hitomi's shoulder, she jerked away instinctively. "Damn Hitomi…" Van sighed exasperatedly. "Talk to me." 

"I don't know what to say." She mumbled.

Van reached for her again and turned her by pulling on her upper arm. Her head was cast low to avoid his gaze. He used his other hand to lift her chin and forced her head up anyway. "I understand….I understand why you did it." For once, he didn't wear his gloves. Her skin was hot to the touch under his grip through the fabric of her dress and the tips of his fingers he traced down her neck.

"Just… it has never been easy for me to…" Van struggled again for the right words.

"Not be in control…" Hitomi suggested flatly.

He exhaled soundly and nodded in defeat.

"Listen, I don't know what will happen to me when this is over. These…things… the Ispano said they have never actually had to remove them before." She didn't need to explain why it had never been done. 

Van's heart sank at the thought. The woman he loved was bound to these strange modifications indefinitely. It certainly had no effect on the feelings he harbored for her. On the contrary, the fact that she had selflessly sacrificed herself strengthened them even more. Hitomi was no ordinary woman. She was not only special to him, but was turning out to be the protector of Gaea twice over now.

She decided to do it selflessly and without hesitation, their happiness less of a concern to her than the lives of people across the world. He couldn't be mad at her reasoning. As king of a country, it was his duty to put the wellbeing of his citizens before his own. His eyes became sad under Hitomi's unwavering stare. Her breathing was shaky as she felt him mull things over in his head. He was so torn. 

Van once again followed the cables along the side of her head with his gaze. He winced as he focused on the hole where they protruded from the side of her skull. After hesitating for a moment, afraid to cause her discomfort, he leaned down to press a soft kiss against her temple. Finally, one of the feelings in his cloud of emotions prevailed. His love for her.

"This changes nothing." He stated firmly. Hitomi's skin burned against his lips as if she was having a fever, probably a side effect of the surgery. He embraced her as tightly as he dared, considering the energist sitting in the center of her chest.

~~Fanelia~~

Merle's hair was disheveled and dirty and her tail whipped from side to side frantically as she ordered a particular formation to attack. Her soldiers fired another barrage of arrows along with Darriah's flamethrowers, who were slinging their projectiles at the dragon. Its electric hide sparked angrily when some of them hit sensitive spots along the beast's body despite an attempt to roll aside. 

"We do not have enough firepower!" Darriah exclaimed angrily. Several wind soldiers were up high on the towers supporting the defense, but without more than just one levi ship, the battle seemed doomed already. Attacks were happening all across the country and to divert all of their ships to the capital would mean leaving villages across the country wide open for attack. 

_Van would never leave the villages hanging like that._ "We **have** to keep at it." Merle panted as she tightened the massive strings of the harpoon she was manning.

The large metal arrow graced another dragon's fire bladder and prohibited a strike to one of the buildings below in the city. Several citizens responded with their own attacks as the beast was near enough for their close ranged attacks. The people of Fanelia were fearless and women and children alike were needed to defend the city.

If it hadn't been such a tragic occasion, Merle's chest would have been filled with joy as she glanced down to see the brief success of their combined effort. As it was, she only had time to nod her approval when she saw the dragon be pulled down after the citizens had managed to sling several ropes around its neck and tail. A group of them was working hard to restrain it.

Darriah was shouting directions at a group of soldiers manning a catapult on the grounds below the wall to help it aim. Catapult attacks were only used when the trajectory could be calculated so that the boulder would land nowhere close to any of the buildings. A very delicate task which demanded utmost precision. A trickle of sweat made its way down her dark skin as she yelled several measurements to the ground unit in fast succession. 

The well-trained soldiers deftly made the adjustments and, at Darriah's command, fired. The boulder sailed through the air at lightning speed considering its size and weight. It missed the main target, a fire dragon diving fast, but struck a land dragon that had just appeared from the woods to the side. Not only that, but the large projectile hit the dragon's head smack in the middle. 

In Zaibach, the sorcerer's skull cracked inside its skin casing which killed her instantly. Her cloaked body slumped and joined that of the sorcerer next to her. The large hall was filled with an army of Zaibach and Caesario magicians. They were all connected to the soul diver which helped them establish their mind links with dragons all across Gaea. As the dragons were defeated or wounded in battle, so were the sorcerers, unless they were fast enough to abandon their link.

What Darriah saw next, though, made her gasp. A glowing ring appeared in the sky very close to the castle gardens and rapidly grew larger. The sky split as a massive ship lowered itself through the opening. 

Merle couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it too. The Ispano mother ship was back, after only half a day of taking Van and Hitomi with it. She was both glad and worried. Had they not been able to help? If not, they were finished. She didn't dare say it out loud, but things looked grim.

The Zaibach fortress which had been floating a secure enough distance away now approached quickly. As Merle witnessed a sleek looking metal platform descend from the bottom of the ship, she also saw a long mass of crima shoot out from the Zaibach fortress' base. It molded itself around the middle portion of the Ispano ship and clamped around the structure tightly.

 _What are they doing? Why are they attacking the Ispano?_ She thought, utterly confused as to why they did not at all seem to care about the battle raging around them. After a short moment, the Zaibach fortress opened the gate to its docking bay. A small chariot emerged, powered by a levi stone. On it was the Zaibach empress, clad in her customary gold robes, with a man. Merle strained to see who it was but concluded that it could only be Adelphus Gain, her closest confidante. 

Van clutched Hitomi's hand tightly as they descended the rest of the way down to the palace gardens. The crima claws had missed them easily, but he was worried that Zaibach would pursue Hitomi and himself. What were the odds that they knew about Hitomi? She had been fairly sure that when she previously infiltrated and pushed sorcerers out of their mind links, there were no traces leading back to her.

Just as fast as the Ispano ship had appeared and they were shuttled down, Zita and Gain entered it, only to disappear with said ship. The Zaibach fortress retracted the crima instantly. _Oh no._ Van thought. The Ispano were not involved in Gaean conflicts, but they were industrious and greedy for money. If an opportunity to make more gold presented itself, they would take it. After the Ispano ship left, the Zaibach fortress cloaked itself again.

Nothing was to be done at the moment. They had to focus on what was most important right now. "I've got this," Hitomi said, her voice firm. Finally, the reaches of her mind were met with exactly what she had been waiting for. The onslaught of available connections with organic beings had flooded her brain the moment they arrived back on Gaea. It was like standing inside a huge dome. The map of minds around her was extensive. Some were more bright and intense than others. 

The ground under their feet, once white snow, had turned to mud and sleet in the heat of battle. Cold air crept through the folds of Hitomi's dress but it didn't bother her. She felt hot and her heart was beating a bit too fast for comfort.

"Not yet!" Van yelled as he took hold of her hand and pulled her towards the castle behind him. "I don't want you out here." He explained as he pulled her towards the nearest entrance. Once in the vicinity of the castle, Van attracted the attention of one of Merle's soldiers. A small unit was grouped at the side and manned a catapult that had been hauled up the palace hill to defend the structure.

"My lord!" The soldier was ready to obey his command.

"Your crossbow. Now!" Van commanded.

Without question, the man handed over his weapon and turned back to help the others again while their king prepared to provide them cover.

"Get into the castle!" He pushed Hitomi towards the nearest doorway, a small side entrance.

Hitomi nodded but hesitated for a second before turning around. "What about you?"

"I will be right out here." He muttered as he loaded the crossbow with one of the large metal bolts. There was no way he would hide inside the castle when he was needed for the defense of his kingdom. Dragons were spread out across the sky and were unleashing their fire all across the city.

Finally, Hitomi gathered the fabric of her dress and ran as fast as she could to the thick, wooden door. She pushed it open and braced her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Strengthened mind powers aside, her body didn't agree to the alterations as readily.

The hallway she was in was covered by a long carpet that reminded her of Ruhm's village. It had intricate designs she remembered seeing on the tribe members' clothing. _Well, here is as good as anywhere. He said to go inside and I did._ She decided and sank to the floor, back leaning against the wall.

As the attacks continued to rage outside, Hitomi concentrated on her one and only task. She reached out wildly and snatched the first connection she could find. It was a fire dragon close by. The beast was in the air near the palace roof where a few soldiers were defending the structure. She only needed a minute to banish the Zaibach sorcerer from the dragon's mind and push the animal itself into the other direction.

The view from up high through the dragon's eyes would have been beautiful, had she not seen a good part of Fanelia, all tied up in one massive attack. Luckily, none of the sorcerers controlling the dragons were proficient at what they were doing, so many of their movements were uncoordinated and sometimes they missed altogether.

There was no time to ogle, so Hitomi sent the dragon due north and as far away from the populated areas in the country as possible. Hopefully, her theory was correct and the dragon would calm down after a while and go about its business far away from here.

The next one she picked was close by also. Through its eyes, she could see that it was busy aiming an electric surge at a portion of the city wall. _Merle!_ Hitomi thought frantically as she saw that the neko had obviously been wounded. She was sporting a deep wound on her upper arm and part of her hair seemed like it had been singed, along with the tip of her tail.

The Zaibach sorcerer was pushed from the mind plane roughly as Hitomi noticed this. She didn't waste any time and disengaged the animal. The soldiers on the wall seemed confused as to why the dragon suddenly turned around and left. It quickly became a speck on the horizon as it beat its massive wings forcefully.

It was so much easier to establish these connections now and take control. Hitomi continued to pick off the animals one by one, not becoming exhausted like she used to thanks to the energist which was powering her abilities. She didn't know how much time was passing, but her backside and neck were beginning to ache from sitting on the hard floor and straining her head.

Sweat was beginning to collect on her brow when Hitomi finally decided to take a break. She chanced a look out the door when she realized that the noise of battle had ceased. Nobody was there, so she slowly walked outside into the garden. She only found traces of destruction around the side of the forest and followed it to the front of the palace. 

There she finally saw more people. Van, along with two soldiers were kneeling around the body of a wounded and providing what aid they could. They all looked disheveled, to say the least. One of the soldiers was sporting a crudely applied bandage around his leg and Van's jacket was torn at the front. _He must have taken a blow or something._ Hitomi concluded and was frustrated at not having been inside the right dragon's head at the right time.

It was no use. He was alright and there were more things to worry about right now. When she approached the group, Van spotted her. He rose and seized her shoulders carefully. "Hitomi it worked! Most dragons are gone. Are you alright?" He inquired, still out of breath.

"I think so. She said and scanned the courtyard to get an idea of how the other people were faring. Many were propped up by pillars and along the wall, sitting in the cold mud and snow. "There are more out there. I just…I wanted to make sure you are okay." She explained as she fingered the frayed fabric of his jacket and touched the scratched skin underneath it.

"Nothing to worry about." Van immediately answered her. "Come. I would still prefer for you not to be out here in case Zaibach decides to attack with their fortress." That said, he motioned for her to follow him and they quickly made their way into the palace.

"I need to take more of them out while I can," Hitomi said as they entered one of the antechambers to the right of the main gates. She grabbed the first chair she saw and took a seat again. It was next to a floor length window. Van stood next to her as she sank into a deep concentration again. He would have liked to stay with her, but he had ordered that the palace halls were to become an impromptu infirmary to treat the wounded. It was easier to tend to the injured when the healers didn't have to be divided up into various locations. 

He looked at her for a moment longer before he left her in the chair. She was so strong-willed, his Hitomi. Always had been since he first met her. She never did anything she didn't want to and if somebody was doing her wrong, she was sure to defend herself. She was passionate and determined. By the gods, he loved her so much. 

Van helped transport the injured into the castle, making sure to glance at Hitomi each time he passed. She was leaning back in the large chair, brow furrowed heavily. Sometimes, one of her limbs would twitch or she would mumble something unintelligible. The next time he saw her, her hands were clutched around the wooden arms of the chair tightly.

When he finally saw Merle hobble across the courtyard, he breathed the first sigh of relief. She was leading her horse by the rains as two bodies were draped across its back carefully. No doubt more wounded. She always made sure to not leave any of her own soldiers behind. He rushed over to hug her fiercely and firmly ordered that she be seen by a healer immediately.

As they passed Hitomi in the antechamber, Merle gasped loudly and her eyes glazed over in shock. "Van what…?" She struggled to finish the question. 

"We will speak about it when this is over. Please don't disturb her. She is…come!" Van didn't finish his sentence and steered her into one of the hallways to make sure somebody would see to her wounds.

A few hours had passed since they had come back and Hitomi almost singlehandedly was winning this war for them. When she took a break the next time, she called for Van only to tell him some grave news. The king of a country was dead, just she didn't know which one. She had seen it through the eyes of a dying fire dragon. A man clad in thick armor with a golden crown nestled in long, wavy, white hair. 

"King Trajan of Basram. Kur's father…" Van said as he heard her description. He wondered how his friend would take the news. As the only son of Basram, he was still the first in line for succession, unless one of his two younger sisters were to contest his claim to the throne. But would he even want to return to his home country? He had not been in contact with his family, but surely word must have spread that the cast out prince of Basram had found refuge in Fanelia.

Hitomi massaged her temples. She was mentally still strong but seeing all these images of death and destruction messed with her terribly. _This is what soldiers must feel like. This is what stays with them even long after they come back home from war. Is this what Van sees when he has one of his nightmares?_

A rain of sorrow washed over her at the thought. She was about to embrace Van tightly when something rather curious happened. One by one, the possessed dragons within her reach lost their desire to attack. It was as if a curtain had been lifted and some of the turmoil in the world went away. But why?

~~Zaibach~~

The blonde sorcerer let loose another hard push of energy towards the soul diver. She and her colleagues were now all disconnected from the machine. She had been the first to abandon her task after being injured. Blood was soaking her cloak around her waist and side now since the dragon sustained an injury on that area of his body. Too many of her own had died gruesomely and the loss of more magic blood would produce an energy imbalance on Gaea. 

After more of them surfaced back to consciousness, pushed from the link by Hitomi, they saw the damage that had been done to their numbers. They were shocked at how badly their supposedly flawless plan had turned out. Enough was enough. They were sorcerers, not soldiers. They yelled and mumbled amongst themselves about the woman that some of them had seen. They were being sacrificed to fight a much more powerful enemy, even though nobody had been aware of it. 

One of the high sorcerers from the main council was with them. He tried to calm them and talk to them to gain control again, but they resisted. A quick spell was spoken to inform the other two high council members on the Zaibach ship. A woman had effortlessly ruined their plans and caused a mutiny amongst their own. Only one of the council members knew who it was. "The Fanelian king's pet seeress." He hissed angrily. Only she could be capable of this.

~~Fanelia~~

Hitomi was attempting to explain to Van what had happened. "It's almost like they all just left. None of the dragons are controlled anymore!" She gasped and ran a hand through her hair on the right side of her head.

At that moment, something else demanded their attention. A bright light outside announced the arrival of the Ispano mothership. "Oh no…" Van said as he saw the Zaibach fortress show itself again and move closer. It was too high up to direct even the long ranged weapons at it now, so they were forced to watch what happened next. 

Hitomi couldn't see well enough through the thick stained glass window, so she hurried outside just in time to see two people emerge from the Ispano ship. She slapped a hand over her mouth when she saw the Zaibach empress now. She was no longer clad in gold but looking as if most of her body was now made out of metal. Of course, it had only been hours here but she had been in the Ispano realm for days and no doubt took advantage of what they had to offer. 

Zita strutted back onto the bridge of the Zaibach ship. She discarded the long gloves that had been given to hear by the Ispano. She didn't want to hide her new modifications. She was proud of them. The gears in her mechanical arm shone and interlocked with precision as she turned and twisted it around. It was most fortunate that the Ispano were so dependable when it came to making a profit. Fortunately, the Zaibach treasury had been full enough to allow for such a large transaction. 

For a large sum of gold, they had not only been able to close the area on her torso where the magic was rotting away her flesh, they had also been able to replace her legs and one arm with those of a well designed, sleek machine. She was no longer just an object, a personification of Zaibach power, but a half human and half mechanical being, intelligent and strong. It would be hard to dispose of her now if the high council wished to do so. 

One of the high sorcerers shuddered at her sppearance but quickly informed them of the current situation. The seeress from the Mystic Moon was down in Fanelia and had wiped out their dragon army. What hadn't been done by her, the sorcerers in Zaibach had taken care of themselves; the disloyal and fearful bunch. 

"She will pay." Zita spat. "The transaction is not complete. We are still waiting for a delivery." She now smirked. "Cloak us!" She commanded, and the ship vanished instantly. From behind the large glass panes of the bridge, everyone was watching something being lowered from the Ispano ship.

 _It can't be!_ Hitomi thought desperately, but Van was already brushing past her.

"No Van! Don't!" She screamed as she already saw him running towards the clearing behind the castle.

Van was pushing himself as fast as he could. Something was clutching his heart tightly as he saw the obsidian automaton descend lower and lower towards the ground. He should have known that this whole deal they had struck with the Ispano was a terrible idea.

When he entered the clearing and neared Escaflowne, he tore Hitomi's pendant from around his neck and unsheathed the sword on his side far enough to slice his thumb on the razor-sharp blade. Pushing the sword back into the scabbard, he squeezed the cut on his thumb against the small pendant and it drank up the blood drops greedily. 

The machine took the pendant readily as he pushed his hand into the receptacle. When he wrapped his hands around the controls and slid his feet into place inside the Guymelef, it was as if he was home. This was what he knew best, this was what he was good at.

The helmet clanked shut and Escaflowne came to life under his command once more. The demonic machine he had battled for almost two weeks in the Ispano realm was now standing across from him in all its dark glory. Its blood red cape was billowing in the wind as the lights on its chest started to light up gradually. While the machine was starting up, Van already lunged Escaflowne into the first attack, attempting to gain the advantage of the first strike. 

Escaflowne was rushing towards the black monstrosity, but the other machine's arm shot up and drew its own sword with lightning speed. Van growled angrily as he withdrew quickly to dodge the counter-attack. 

He heard neither Hitomi's frantic cries nor the gasps of the people around them. Nothing mattered now except the need to defend his country and the people he loved. 

**Tbc…**

A/N: Inspiration for Hitomi's mind powers in this chapter: Professor X in Cerebrum.

Lady Mechanika by Joe Bentiez

A lot of Glitch Mob was listened to while writing this.


	16. Chapter 15

~~The Shallow Sea~~

Inanna was standing on the starboard side of the Varie's deck as things around them calmed. They had hidden and anchored the levi ship close by the coastline near a large rock overhang. When the dragon attack was at its peak, they would not have been able to sustain a confrontation. 

The sea was calm around them, but ripping winds further out pushed ice on the surface due east. The young woman pulled the hood of the too large cloak deeper into her face. She absentmindedly covered her swollen belly with her hands as if to protect it.

It was due to Inanna's pregnancy that Kur did not want to take any risks. His youngest sister was the dearest person in the world to him and he wanted to see her thrive and raise her child like the wonderful mother she would no doubt be. He wasn't sure what was to become of them now. They could seek refuge in Fanelia again, but Inanna would always be the lost queen of Egzardia.

The prince placed a gentle hand on his her shoulder after he approached. "Sister. We have to travel to Palas. The queen of Asturia is the most knowledgeable healer I know. She has helped deliver children through complicated births and saved many lives. She will know what to do."

Inanna only nodded and kept staring at the horizon. Egzardia had long since been out of eyesight, but she still longed to know how the people in the keep were faring. She hoped the servants, which had always been kind to her, had found shelter and been able to survive.

Kur made his retreat and informed the remaining soldiers and Gajeel of their new plans. He found Van's small study in the lower deck of the ship and wrote a brief note on a small piece of parchment. The king of Fanelia would appreciate knowing where his private levi ship was headed.

His loyal avian friend, Hudson, squawked as Kur placed the message into the small container on the bird's leg. "You know where to go. Go home and let Van know we will be back soon."

~~Fanelia~~

Van's face was a grimace of exertion as he rammed Escaflowne's shoulder into the obsidian automaton's side. He hoisted the sword up high in an attempt to strike the machine which was now caught slightly off guard by the melee attack, but it responded as if having read his mind. The machine's sword met his with an easy parry. 

He growled in frustration as he sprang away before the demonic melef could overpower him. Not many of his attacks had been successful so far. He was, after all, sort of fighting himself. What currently worried him the most was that he, unlike the machine, had only so much stamina.

Hitomi watched the suspenseful duel with apprehension. Many people had gathered and cheered on their king, but they were keeping a safe distance. She, however, couldn't help but move as close as possible. Through sheer luck, the whole fight so far was taking place in the palace gardens and the woods adjacent to it.

The trees rustled wildly as the melefs moved around each other. Branches were chopped off and avalanches of snow fell from the treetops as they moved into previously untouched areas. At this moment, Escaflowne crashed into just such a tree and Hitomi covered her mouth when she saw a pile of snowfall right onto its helmet and through the openings into the cockpit. 

_Ooooh, this is bad._ She thought when she recalled just what it felt like to get hit by one of Mamoru's well-aimed snowballs and have heaps of snow glide down into her collar and under her clothing. She was hoping that the snow was not disturbing Van's vision. 

Van coughed and spluttered as the icy mass fell through the visor of the Escaflowne's helmet. He shook his head as much as he was able to, but some of the snow still stuck to his head. A thick tuft of unruly bangs slowly soaked up the cold water and plastered itself to his forehead and right eye. 

"Damn!" He thought as he rolled Escaflowne to the side to escape the descending blade of the enemy. "There is just nothing I can do that this thing can't." Panting hard, he lunged into a desperate offensive and successfully struck the automaton's sword arm. It staggered slightly but regained balance immediately. Its stabilizers responded more quickly than a human ever could.

Hitomi's eyes moved wildly as she followed the fast exchange of blows, dodges, parries, and defensive maneuvers. _There's_ ** _got_** _to be something! She thought wildly._ Van taught it how to fight, but they were in the domed arena. He must have some kind of advantage or things he didn't teach it. Now more than ever Hitomi was frustrated for not knowing much about mortal sword combat.

Van was becoming more and more tired by the minute. Sweat was pouring down his body together with the leftover snowmelt. For a brief second, he was able to glance towards the castle and saw the throng of people who were watching. **His** people. The people who depended on him to protect them and who needed him to win this fight.

Then there was Hitomi. She was standing by herself; far away from everybody else and far too close to their fighting than he was comfortable with. Merle's pink head of hair was nowhere in sight. He hoped she would continue to follow the rules and keep herself out of harm's way as was expected of her in such a situation. He was sure it pained his sister to see him in danger, but they had had this discussion many times. When either of them was in mortal danger, the other was responsible for staying alive. Not that she could have helped him much right now anyway.

Suddenly, Hitomi's eyes shone with realization as she saw Escaflowne back up a considerable distance. Van sheathed the melef's sword. _Of course!_ She thought as the machine underwent the transformation to its dragon form. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Van stand proudly atop, controls gripped tightly. 

Van inhaled the cold air deeply as he rushed through the sky. The wind was tearing at his wet hair and soggy clothing, throwing it around wildly. His arms were tired, but he held on to Escaflowne's cable reins tightly. It had been a long time since he had last traversed the skies this way. He treasured the times Hitomi and Merle would travel with him and occupy the space behind him. Hitomi's arms around his waist and her warmth close to him had been a comfort each time she was there.

He didn't want to waste any more time reminiscing and halted his ascend. The automaton was far below him and he had been right in his theory. It wasn't able to transform. The function to transform into a dragon was a rare one, as far as he knew. A little fact he had almost forgotten himself. A little fact that could mean he just was going to win this battle after all.

He manipulated the controls and Escaflowne rolled into a right turn. The slant of a bank allowed for a more tight maneuver and air whizzed past his ears again as he gained speed towards the automaton which was now starting to march towards the castle. **_Hitomi_**. He thought angrily.

Just like when they escaped the dungeons of Zaibach after the sorcerers had attempted to dismantle his guymelef, he willed the dragon into its fastest flight. It streamlined its wings and tail and rushed straight for the automaton.

Hitomi slowly started walking backward as she saw that the demonic machine had selected her as its new target. She couldn't take her eyes off its black helmet and the glowing red eyes behind it. Energists, no doubt. Van was high up in the air, but had pulled Escaflowne around and was plunging in a neck-breaking dive. 

Vibrations caused by the automaton's heavy steps reached all the way to the garden lake and caused its frozen surface to crack and break soundly. Floes of ice danced on the water as it rippled under the force. Hitomi's body temperature rose even more as fear spread from her guts into her extremities. It was as if she was facing the devil himself and there was no way to stop it with the powers she possessed. She could only control animals and influence what happened to people.

It was curious how her powers worked. Had she been able to control the actions of humans, she could have possibly stopped this whole war to start with. It would have been easy to find Gain or the Zaibach empress and simply force them to abandon their plans, but of course, this would have been too easy. What was there left to do for her now? 

At this moment, Van finally closed in on the automaton. Just as it was starting to march faster, Escaflowne passed over it and Van ejected the massive sword from the bottom to slice through the black machine. It stopped immediately as a loud crack was heard which was an audible confirmation of the effectiveness of Van's attack. 

He didn't want to take any chances. Van turned Escaflowne around again and swung the sword through the air as hard as he could until it collided with the mechanical monstrosity. One of its arms was almost sliced off completely, forcing it to drop the sword. Close to the ground, Van changed Escaflowne back into its original form. The proud white guymelef appeared again and attacked the automaton from the side. Its sword sank deep into the other machine's torso.

Sparks shot forth from the demonic eyes as the automaton attempted to grip Escaflowne's sword with its free hand. Its movements stalled slowly as damage overpowered the program. It sank to its knees, slumping over and falling to the side in slow motion. Van pulled the sword free and waited another minute before he sheathed it.

Roars and excited cheers were heard from the direction of the castle. The king had prevailed! Hitomi clutched her hands in front of her chest. It was as if a knot in her stomach was slowly unfurling itself now. She watched Escaflowne turn to her and pass by the broken machine. Van maneuvered it into a kneeling position and opened the hatch.

Then she saw it. An ever so slight twitch in the pile of black metal. Her hand rose much too slow for her liking. " **Van!** " She screamed as loudly as she could while the restraints were still unfastening around the pilot seat. His head whipped around to follow the direction of her hand and his eyes widened. The automaton's intact arm was moving, lifting to point directly at him.

In the Zaibach fortress, Zita was making her retreat from the bridge as general Gain and the sorcerers were engrossed in the events down below. She walked quickly through the shadows of the hallways and pulled a pair of goggles over her eyes that she had been keeping in a pouch on her belt, discarding the ancient spectacles she no longer needed. It was fortunate she was now not dressed in the usual voluminous dress and metal corset boning anymore. The tight pants which covered what was left of her human legs gave her complete freedom of movement. She would need it shortly.

Her plan had only worked partly and it meant she could no longer stay. She needed to make her escape now before it was too late. Seeing the king's guymelef transform had made her realize what was about to happen. They had lost. She changed the programming in the black automaton to allow the use of its most powerful weapon, should it be necessary. Allowing it to use this ultimate weapon would also mean its destruction. The blast would require all its energy, but at least it would take the damned Fanelian king with it. A small consolation for the troubles she was about to face. She found one of the levi bikes and opened the hangar gates personally as the whole crew was busy ogling the battle of the machines. 

Nobody would know she was gone until it was too late. She swung one leg across the seat and inserted her hands into the control slots. The small vehicle followed her will obediently as she zoomed through the opening. The rush of freedom brushed through her grey pouffe as she speedily made her way across the mountain tops due north. Her tawny eyes were focused on the distant horizon as she headed towards the southern hemisphere of Gaea.

If she couldn't be Zaibach's leadership figure any longer. The high council would have no need for her anymore. They would rally the people against her and use her as a scapegoat. They would discard her until the country was strong again and find a new figurehead to hide behind as the country developed and grew once more. There was no place for her in Zaibach after this. What they hadn't considered was that she wanted to live. Even an artificially created being was driven by one of the most basic desires. Survival. The magic which had brought her to life was now her only ally. 

"Stay away!" Van yelled as Hitomi made a step to rush towards him. He was just about to push himself out of the seat when the armor on the automaton's arm folded back and the metal hand twisted itself around to form a cannon. Deep in its barrel, an energist glowed brightly. It seemed to almost melt as the power drained from the rest of the machine into its center and unleashed a powerful blast in Van's direction.

Hitomi could only watch helplessly as Van was torn to bits by the red beam of pure energy. He dissolved instantly in the heat and Escaflowne's body melted into a bizarre clump of white, liquid metal.

"This can't be…happening." Hitomi formed the words with her mouth but nothing came out as she collapsed into a sitting position. Gasps and voices filled with terror surrounded her as the citizens and soldiers of Fanelia witnessed their king fall shortly after everybody had already begun celebrating the victory.

"No no no no no…no **no**! This can't… be." Hitomi quietly mumbled as she stared at the smoking pile of black metal that had been the automaton and the clump of white metal that had been Escaflowne. There was no trace of Van left behind. The blast had completely obliterated his body. The first of many tears fell from her disbelieving eyes and rolled down her hot cheek.

" **NO!** " She yelled so loud her throat ached. She yelled it again and again and again. Until her cheeks were wet with tears and her sight thoroughly blurred. Her thoughts were racing along with her heart. _I have to. I have to…something…I can…something. I must be able to…Van can't…_ All chance for rational thought was disrupted by the pain of her aching heart.

As she sat and breathed hard under the stress, her chest gradually warmed up. The energist in her sternum glowed brightly as she wiped at her eyes wildly. _Right._ She thought as if the thing was talking to her. Something had nudged her thoughts and forced her to focus entirely at this one point in time. The time she had seen the automaton's arm move.

Hitomi's fingernails were digging small holes into the hard ground and her fingers wrapped around clumps of earth and hibernating grass as she gathered her powers. Time seemed to come to a standstill. Small flakes of snow stopped in midair as everything froze. She narrowed her eyes as everything around her went black.

There were Escaflowne's remains. They were pulsating gently as she stared at them in her mind. With the slowest of motions, bits and pieces of metal began to slide upwards and back into place. Drops of molten Ispano white metal formed out of molecules collected from the surrounding air it had been blasted into just a short while ago. She put more will into it and time obeyed.

Bit by bit, Escaflowne was restored until she finally also saw the outline of Van's body appear. Broad shoulders, long legs, and wild black hair solidified out of thin air. His features became more and more prominent, the deep red color of his eyes intensifying last. Just like Escaflowne, the automaton restored equally fast. Hitomi's chest was uncomfortably tight around her heart. She couldn't do much more of this. As she pushed further, Van jumped backward up onto Escaflowne's hatch and the restraints snapped shut across his body again. Correspondingly, the automaton's massive cannon lowered itself. 

_I can't anymore_. Hitomi thought as blood trickled from her nose and coated her upper lip. This hadn't happened in a long time. Did even this energist have its limitations? Dos had warned her that it could happen depending on how much she used it. For a while, she had completely forgotten that she had stopped an entire army of dragons across Gaea almost by herself. 

She held on to the automaton's cannon in her mind as everything else appeared around her again. Time resumed its normal pace when she allowed it to, just not the damned cannon arm. She couldn't let it go. She would not be able to turn back time again. Her remaining strength would not allow her to do it.

Van felt as if he was having a déjà vu. He could have sworn he had just seen his own death coming through a blinding light and then, nothing. Now he was back in Escaflowne's pilot seat as the restraints snapped open. When he pushed himself from the hatch, he saw Hitomi crouching in the grass not far away. She seemed to be suffering from some sort of mental strain as was evident by her posture and the look on her face.

 _She must have changed something._ Van thought as he hurried to her side. "Hitomi! What happened? I'm here! What are you doing?" He asked as he dropped to his knees next to her and finally followed her gaze to see what she was looking at. It was the obsidian guymelef. Its massive black arm was fighting against something, trying to move. Was she holding it? Trying to control it? 

They told her it would be impossible to warp into anything inorganic. The Ispano let her attempt to do it on them and she had been unsuccessful every time. There was just nothing she could latch onto, but by the gods, she had to try again. Everything depended on it.

Van placed a hand on her shoulder but immediately pulled it back when Hitomi's body heat almost burned it through the leather of his glove. She was now whimpering and panting as the energist emanated an unbelievable heat. It burned a hole through the fabric of her dress and seemed to melt deeper into the flesh around it.

"I… can… **do this**." Hitomi groaned as her hands fisted tightly, squeezing the dirt, grass, and mud in it. Anger and desperation inside of her powered another surge of mental strength. She focused and focused on the metal of the machine, its armor, its energist eyes, its programming, and its code. Slowly, very slowly, her vision darkened again and she was left standing in a sea of glowing zeroes and ones.

Everything was a jumble of digits and code. Lines and lines of commands and unfamiliar directives. She was stunned. She had actually managed to infiltrate the machine's program. _I knew it could be done._ She breathed as she stood in her mind. _Now, where are you?_ She asked her grandmother's pendant.

Van didn't know what to do. Hitomi was shaking from the strain and the automaton was slowly moving its arm again. Only it was attempting to aim into the open sky near the mountain ridge. Hitomi's eyes were glazed over in trance, and the energist in her chest seemed to have finally settled into a steady state of maximum activation.

Hitomi swung the black melef arm around in a clumsy fashion. To everybody else, it would probably look like it was aiming at nothing. "That's right, I know where you are." Her mental image smirked as she finally allowed the weapon to unleash its power straight at the cloaked floating Zaibach fortress.

The realization came too late for those on board and nothing was left to be done as the structure was struck by the powerful energist blast. As the fortress sustained damage, the cloaking device immediately failed and revealed the structure. People cheered as the dreaded symbol of past and present wars was headed for a devastating crash landing behind the mountain ridges of the Fanelian capital. It was unlikely that there would be survivors.

As soon as the blast struck, Hitomi allowed herself a small sigh of triumph before she let go. Van caught her immediately and frantically yelled Hitomi's name as she coughed up a mass of bright red blood. Her body was now cooling rapidly. He didn't need to guess at what was happening when her energist's glow dulled.

"Hitomi! No! Stay with me!" He begged hysterically as he gripped her tightly and clumsily wiped the blood off her face. She had not even the strength to utter any last words as her body gave in to the deprivation of energy and mental strength she had just expended. Her mind swam away in a stream of relief and settled into a comfortable, dense fog.

Van hugged her body to his as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Merle was rushing across the grounds as fast as her legs and paws would carry her. She came to an abrupt stop and dropped next to Van. Her eyes immediately watered when she saw Hitomi's lifeless body cradled in her beloved brother's arms.

Such long years Van had spent secretly yearning for her. He had pushed her away thinking it was best for her, to protect her from yet another disaster on his home planet. In the end, fate always seemed to claim what it desired. His heart ached more than when his father died, Folken and his mother disappeared, and when he found that Folked had perished in the heart of Zaibach. 

The only woman that could have ever made him completely happy had given her life for him and his people. She was the only one who would have been truly worthy to become the queen of Fanelia.

Tears ran freely on both Merle and Van'd faces as they mourned soundly.

~~Nowhere~~

Hitomi was strolling through the fog casually. It was nice here, but where was she? Why was she here? For the life of her, she couldn't remember. Her heart was heavy with an indescribable sadness.

There was nothing to see and nothing to hear in this strange place until she heard a chorus of voices calling for her. "Come to us child." 

She obediently padded across the mirror like ground and was amazed to find that she was clothed in a kimono dress made entirely from the finest silver fabric. _Hmm…beautiful. I haven't worn a dress like this for so long._

"Now now dear, don't be so quick to leave your thoughts behind." The voices chided Hitomi as she emerged from the mist. "You deserve to know what you have achieved." Her eyes widened in disbelief and she gasped as she stood before the ethereal shape again. It looked like the shadow of a human, filled with stars and planets. Something seemed familiar about it.

"Can we get to it fast please? Why do we always have to be so mystical about this?" A male voice grumbled.

"Lyn!" A stern female voice chided the male one. "Will you get a grip?"

"Alright alright sorry." The male voice grumbled again.

"Hitomi." Finally a familiar voice. Familiar and long lost.

"Grandmother!" Hitomi finally said in realization.

"Yes." The voice confirmed as the shape shifted into something more solid. "You have been here before, my dear Hitomi," Yuri spoke as her human form appeared before her granddaughter 

"I… have?" Hitomi asked and furrowed her brow. "I have!" She said with a more convinced voice.

"Indeed. You only forgot for a moment because what you just did took all the mental power you had." Grandmother Yuri explained. "Hitomi, you ended a war and saved a planet from slowly being destroyed. This war had you not stopped it, would have torn Gaea apart." 

"I… did?" Hitomi questioned.

"I'm telling you!" Yuri confirmed again. "I'm so proud of you, Hitomi." The god of fate chose wisely by putting its trust in you. Come to me. You may join us now."

A lonely tear was rolling down Hitomi's cheek. _Van._ Hitomi thought as one of three previously unnoticed figures on the side cut her life's thread.

When Hitomi's form melted with that of the ancient Atlantean god Moiragetes, she felt as if all the sorrow weighing so heavily on her chest slowly melted away.

When the ethereal shape received her, it changed like it had not done in centuries. The desolation in the woman's mind was overpowering. Planets darkened and stars dimmed inside of its shape as another minister of fate joined their ranks. A minister of fate who had given everything.

 **Fin**

A/N: Don't hate me pls. Stay for the epilogue anyway?

If you haven't seen Men Who Stare at Goats you won't know who Lyn Cassidy is. It's not essential, just adds to the whole collection of ministers of fate throughout the centuries and recent years.k


	17. Epilog

~~Fanelia~~

Three months had passed since the fateful day Gaea was plunged into another war. Three months since the sky had been filled with dragons controlled by an army of sorcerers in far away Zaibach. The king of Fanelia felt the first strong rays of sun on his face. They were becoming warmer every day now.

He was still dressed in his formal garb, the red haori coat and blue shirt with the filigree collar. Since the recent events had called for more diplomatic meetings, especially between the allies and their messengers, he hadn't had much downtime. This afternoon, he finally had an hour completely to himself and decided to spend it in the gardens. The reconstructions had not taken long this time as helping hands were plenty and eager. Fallen trees had been chopped into firewood and holes in the ground left behind by the melef duel had been leveled. Grass would be covering the fresh earth soon.

Van leisurely descended the granite stairs down onto the walkway and followed the trail towards his family's monument. The smooth, white stone had been scrubbed and cleaned to free it from any frost damage. He had placed Escaflowne back in its original spot and polished the armor personally over the course of an early morning before his duties called.

Something caught his eye on the bushes around the stone monument. A single red blossom was starting to emerge between the fresh green leaves. _Beautiful._ He thought and smiled. After a moment's thought, he walked over and plucked the branch it grew on. To some, it might have seemed cruel to take the first, strong flower but he knew his plants and what to do with them. He absentmindedly twirled it between his fingers as his thoughts wandered elsewhere. 

The castle had been a lot quieter lately. When Kur had returned with Inanna, their visit was short lived. The people of Egzardia wanted their queen back. Not just because she was carrying their heir, but to rule them. They loved and missed her and even those advisors loyal to the late king couldn't find a good reason to deny her the throne. With no other heirs present, the young girl was the rightful ruler of Egzardia. Millerna was scheduled to travel there in a month's time to be present when it was time for Inanna to give birth.

They had identified the complication and agreed that it was best for an experienced healer such as Millerna to be present for the delivery. Only under much protest had Van convinced Kur to return to Basram. His original home, too, needed a leader and their other sister showed no interest in contesting his claim the throne. Van nodded his head slowly, still deep in thought. His friend would make a just king.

It had helped to convince Kur when Van promised to send Merle across the shallow sea to provide counsel to Inanna until she had elected her own court and felt confident enough to lead the country by herself. Merle and she had reportedly made fast friends and her letters promised great confidence in the young woman's ability to rule well. 

Darriah and Gajeel were fulfilling their duties more diligently than ever, especially Gajeel. The man had never taken much interest in helping to train the recruits or filling his chair in the grand hall, but he had been there for every diplomatic conversation and sunodos since the battle.

The grand alliance was growing, now including Egzardia and Basram. The allies had taken control over Zaibach since the high council of sorcerers could not be trusted and was exiled into the lands beyond Asgard. Due to geographical convenience and availability of the most troops, Asturia had annexed Zaibach as a territory. This had been easily accepted by everybody else, especially Van. He was content to be responsible for his own people and had no need for occupying another country to expand the Fanelian domain.

Finally, everything was at peace again. It was as if Gaea could breathe freely like it hadn't in years. The past was what made the present and future all the more valuable. Van cast a last look at the grave and turned his back on it.

A short distance away near the lake was the elder tree. It had become a new favorite spot since he had ordered the construction of a simple but beautiful garden bench. The spot overlooked most of the palace gardens and the lake in the middle. It was here that he had been blown to pieces and then magically restored by her.

He walked around the bench, trying not to make a sound, and sat carefully so as not to wake the woman who was slumped over a bit, obviously asleep with an open book on her lap.

Her hair had grown in a bit, but the patch where her head had been shaved was still much shorter than the rest of the honey locks. The wounds on her skull had healed well. Her favorite new cream-colored kimono dress, which she had requested be remade after the original was lost in the seas, covered her slender frame. An obi hugged her waist, tied in the customary Fanelian fashion. 

Underneath the folds of fabric, between her breasts, a thick, pale patch of scar tissue would forever remain. To Van, her wounds and scars didn't matter. They never would change how much he loved and adored her. After all, they were a testimony to her bravery and sacrifice.

Millerna and several healers, as well as Basramian engineers, had worked for hours to remove the Ispano contraptions shortly after the fateful events. It had been like a miracle when she came back to life. Only Hitomi knew what exactly had happened. 

"How long were you going to sit there and watch me sleep?" An amused voice chided.

One side of Van's mouth rose in a cheeky grin. "For as long as you would have let me." He answered as his ruby eyes found Hitomi's emerald ones.

She had told Van how it happened to the best of her abilities. The Atlantean god Moiragetes, the god of fate which was made up of all the oracles and fortune tellers in history, had apparently suffered so much under her sorrow and pitied her so much that they decided to send her back only minutes later.

The cost had been great. A god had sacrificed its own existence to save a mere mortal. Additionally, her powers vanished, never to be used again. Hitomi's head had been blissfully empty for quite a while now. When Van pulled her pendant from Escaflowne's energy slot, it had been a simple, dull, grey stone and they buried it by the white monument in an act of finality.

The beautiful woman on his side took the flower he offered her. "I saw this and it made me think of you," Van said as she took it. "It's the first and strongest of many after such a harsh winter." If you water it and it takes root, we can plant a new one. 

"It's beautiful Van. Thank you." Hitomi said as she held it in both hands. She adored seeing his handsome face so peaceful. He had had nothing but kind words and love to give since she returned and she was sure this would never change again.

"Would you like me to carry you back to your room? You have been out here for a while." He offered. Every day since Millerna had allowed Hitomi to leave her bed for the first time after the surgery, Van had carried her to the garden bench. It had been made for her, so she could enjoy the oncoming spring and practice reading Gaean writings elsewhere than the library.

"No that's alright." She said as she placed the branch with the flower and the book between them.

Van sprang up in alarm as she suddenly rose to her feet. "Hitomi you shouldn't yet!" His face showed immediate concern for her presumably still weak state.

"Quiet, Van." She immediately stopped him with a raised hand and an eye roll. "I'm by far not as fragile anymore as you make me out to be. In fact…" reaching for his hand, she pulled herself flush against his body "…I feel fantastic."

Van didn't know that she could well walk on her own by now. He had been so caught up in royal business as of late that all he had had time for was to fuss over her for several minutes a day. Soon, Hitomi thought happily, she would be able to run again.

Both of her arms wrapped around Van's neck as she rose onto her tiptoes and brushed her soft lips against his. His arms immediately took hold of her waist and squeezed her gently. He was trying to keep the kiss innocent, but the woman in his embrace had other plans. Their lips grew hot as they rubbed against each other, her mouth pushing against his demandingly. 

He sighed and gave in to her wordless pleas, kissing her with more passion and splaying the fingers of one hand across her lower back. For several minutes, they stood and kissed like they hadn't in months. Van had insisted that they be mindful of her healing wounds, but Hitomi was more than tired of it. Especially since she knew what he was capable of. Her cheeks flushed at the thought.

When they parted, both their faces were pink and they were well out of breath. "Van," Hitomi said. 

"Hmm?" He asked as he lovingly traced the side of her head with his fingers.

"I think I'm ready." She said with a big smile on her face. "I feel strong."

Her own smile paled in comparison to that of the one which was forming on Van's face now. "I was hoping you would say that soon." His voice was so full of happiness as he picked her up and spun her around, making her giggle.

Several weeks later, the citizens of Fanelia, as well as the leaders of the allied countries, gathered to witness the union of King Van Slanzar de Fanel and the seeress Hitomi Kanzaki. It was a small wedding compared to royal standards and followed more of the old traditions of Fanelian rulers than the pomp and splendor of modern times. 

In reality, this did nothing to take away from the event. On the contrary, the King and Queen looked to be beyond content. Both warriors in their own right, they would make strong rulers who were already respected and loved by their people.

When they were asked if and when there would be a true born heir, they merely shrugged. There was, after all, no hurry.

A soft chuckle was the only answer Merle would give when asked if she was worried about her claim to the throne.

 **The End**

A/N: You didn't really think I was going to write a story like this and then kill Hitomi, did you? Did I lead you on like this to be mean? Not intentionally. I had the scene on the garden bench planned before I wrote the ending around it. I didn't want to just write a happy ending in one go.

Anyway, thanks for sticking around. To those who didn't read this, Hitomi will be dead forever. Check back sometime to see if I wrote about what happened before Hitomi returned. If I do this, it will be separate from this story. Something like "Before Moiragetes" or along those lines.

On that note: In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus' full name is Zeus Moiragetes, the only god who can control fate. Zeus, if he chose, was the only one who could save a mortal even if they were already seized by their fate. Of course, I made some changes to adapt this to the story. 

I have also been thinking about continuing ‚Unspoken' as well, but it will most likely just be a few chapters of citrusy fluff. No major plot to speak of. 

I'm going to go and read my whole story in its entirety now. No doubt, I'll find a ton of things I wish I had done better or elaborated more on but I'm honestly just glad to have it finished before I squirrel on to something entirely different.

Anyway, that's all folks!

44u


End file.
